


The Distinction of Royalty

by PurpleGecko



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Character Death, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fantasy World, M/M, Royalty, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2020-08-09 21:16:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20123980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleGecko/pseuds/PurpleGecko
Summary: The kingdom of New Ham had been divided by civil war for many centuries, until the leaders of each side were suddenly murdered, leaving their children in charge. With strings being pulled by an unknown force, the new leaders of each half of the country, King Harry and Queen Cassandra, struggle to put their differences aside for peace with Campbell striving to tear them apart. Meanwhile Prince Sam and Grizz of the guard alongside Princess Allie, Lady Becca and everyone else struggle with their own problems that each threaten the return of war.Fantasy au with lots of problems in New Ham.





	1. Listen in carefully.

The kingdom of New Ham was one that lived in a great era of peace, although Allie never knew how they could call it a great era when the country had only been at a, shaky, peace for five years. Their seemingly eternal civil war had ended when the leaders of both factions each suddenly died. It was far too well timed to be an accident, but there was still no leads as to what had caused their deaths, even five years on. Each half of the country decided to split, and hold their own independence for a set time, until they had recovered from the deaths of their respective monarchs. This agreement was decided by the high court (a group of nobility appointed from every other country in the land) and was not approved of by either of the new leaders.

The children of the dead monarchs despised each other, and perhaps rightly so, they had been at war for centuries. The people of the country had seemed to share the same resentment, but it was dulled in the years of peace by war exhaustion and their newfound love of peace. The people no longer wanted war. Unlike the new monarchs who would readily bear arms once more, each believing the other to have had a hand in their parents deaths, but they would not break the peace or dare to go against their beloved people, so they remained in their weak agreement.

The Queen of north New Ham, Cassandra Pressman, was a highly intuitive and intelligent woman who had implemented many new laws and greatly improved her country in the last few years. She had an uncanny ability to hold the attention of the entire room with a single blink of her eyes. Despite her commanding nature, her presence was not oppressive, and she allowed her subjects to speak up and contest her. The country loved her, almost as much as they had loved the previous king, her father who had been a kind and gentle man, turned stone cold in the face of violence and adversity.

While her people considered her with a fond heart, the King of south New Ham, Harry Bingham, thought her to be arrogant, self-centred and far too much of a goody-two-shoes. Harry Bingham, or King Harry was also loved by the people he ruled, but for very different reasons. Where Cassandra was formal and controlling, Harry took far more of a laid-back approach. He created a successfully functioning court system composed of other nobility to handle small state matters and deal with any problems that he deemed too minor for him. Cassandra thought this lazy, but the people of south New Ham believed it to be ingenious, as it allowed Harry to focus more of his time on larger issues and gave the people more of a voice (Although he may spend more time at parties than focusing). Harry didn’t have the ability to appear commanding or even to claim the attention of the room in the way Cassandra did, but he was incredibly charming and witty.

His charm meant that he was usually the focus of the room anyway, but he was not seen as a strong of a leader as Cassandra. This very fact is one that pushed King Harry’s dislike of Cassandra higher and higher. In turn, his supposedly weak rule increased Cassandra’s disdain for the other monarch. They were almost polar opposites. North and South, hot and cold, relaxed and controlling. It seemed practically impossible that they could keep the peace between their two independent states. Especially when every meeting they both attended always devolved into a childish shouting match or a contest of insults thrown in fits of anger.

It was just after one of these such meetings that the confidants of each monarch began to discuss solutions separately from their respective leaders. Princess Allie, the younger sister of Queen Cassandra, shouldn’t have been walking by the small storeroom where the hushed voices were coming from, and she certainly shouldn’t have stayed and listened. The voices were easily recognisable to Princess Allie, she had heard them talk time and time again as she sat in the corner of the Queen’s meetings. Kelly Aldrich was King Harry’s confidant, they had been together once, and while the reason they ended their relationship was never known (that had been a scandal that even the people of the north had been interested in) they seemed to remain close friends. Hers was one of the voices Allie could hear talking in quiet and hushed voices. The other was more familiar, belonging to Gordie Moreno, her sisters fiancée. Gordie had been the head researcher and tactician in the castle for four years, the youngest ever appointed. He and Cassandra had immediately clicked, both having sharp minds and a love for discovery.

They were to be married in two weeks.

Their marriage was a momentous occasion, one that required King Harry’s attendance. This meant that he would be staying at the castle for the next two weeks rather than the usual four hours for their meetings. It would be the longest either monarch had stayed in the opposing half of the country and it was a huge step for both sides. The south worried for Harry’s safety and hoped that this stay would lead to a stronger peace and alliance over the divide, while the north feared Harry’s very presence in their land. While most of the country had accepted the south and moved on from the war, it had been going on so long that no-one seemed to know why it started, there was a small group who would do whatever it took to restart the violence. Having Harry in the country was a potential opportunity for that animosity to overspill.

Harry himself was either incredibly brave or careless, in Allie’s opinion. She had never formally met the King, her only contact with him being listening to the meetings he attended at their palace. She had no part in them, somewhat of a fly on the wall, gone unnoticed by all other attendees. These meetings occurred every four months, and their location alternated between the two halves of the country. Allie had never been allowed to go with Cassandra down to the south. She desperately wanted to, even if she did share her sisters dislike of King Harry, the south’s scenery was not under his control. Allie had never seen the luscious beaches or scorching jungles that lined the south of the country and she craved the prickly feeling of warmth that was said to come in the boiling summers. Anything other than the biting harsh cold that enveloped the castle come winter. She craved to see something other than the peaked mountains and vast valleys of her homeland. Allie wondered if she could face one more roaring snowstorm, forced to stay cooped up inside.

Her desire for exploration was one of her less desirable traits, right alongside eavesdropping. However, eavesdropping allowed her to learn about things she never would have even thought of before, such as how infatuated with King Harry all the girls of the northern court were or that Kelly and Gordie think there needs to be a stronger tie between the north and south if the peace is to hold. She couldn’t make out much of what they were saying, their whispers too quiet for her ears. She did hear Kelly call Cassandra childish and Gordie retort that she was far better than Harry. “Stop it, we cannot allow ourselves to bicker like they do, lest we risk the return of war. If that happens… well I think we both know that neither of our homes would exist. We don’t have the money or the manpower to sustain another war,” Kelly hissed, her voice insistent but not rude.

“You’re right, I know, but there is no way to strengthen the ties we share,” Gordie sighed, and even though she couldn’t see him, Allie knew he was resting a tired hand on his forehead. “There might be,” Kelly said, and her voice took on a quieter and secretive tone. It was then that Allie decided it was best not to continue listening. She didn’t want to know if they were saying something treasonous, if she heard them plotting seriously, she would have to go to Cassandra, and she didn’t want to do that. One, it meant that Gordie may no longer be able to marry her sister, or that they would fight and two, Kelly would surely be fired, and Allie liked her, despite the limited interaction they had. To Allie, Kelly seemed calm and composed, she never got angry or said something she didn’t mean. Even perfect Cassandra couldn’t do that.

So Allie crept out of the corridor, searching for the familiar face of her best friend. It would be a major point of gossip if people even found out that Allie was friends with Will. He was just a ‘lowly’ kitchen boy, and she was royalty. It was unheard of that she should even talk to him, and yet she couldn’t imagine a life without it. Allie desperately wished for something more than her friendship with him, but that would never be possible. For one, it was treason for him, and she couldn’t bear to ever put him in such danger. The other issue was, that Allie was convinced he didn’t feel the same way for her. All the moments in which her hope was ignited, she later squashed with the realisation that his nervousness came from her status and not hidden feelings.

Allie wandered around by the kitchens, daring to go as far as to poke her head in the door and search for Will. Oddly, he wasn’t there, it should be his shift and he hadn’t told her of any reason that he wouldn’t be in work today. Allie frowned to herself, determined to keep her composure and continued to search every other place she thought it possible that Will might be. She came up empty. Her nerves were edging higher and higher at each second. If he was ill, how could he ever tell her? What if something had happened to him, what then?

Princess Allie felt foolish tears begin to well up in her eyes and hissed angrily, hurrying through the castle, heading for her comfort place. There was a small unused section of flat roof that above the guest rooms that overlooked the city. The castle itself was atop a large flat hill on the north edge of town. It was very easily defendable against sieges or assaults. Allie found comfort in the lively nature of the city spread out before her, the hustle and bustle of a thousand lives and tales all being told without her. People she may never meet and sights she may never see. It was saddening that she could never go anywhere without her trail of guards and the ever-present air of royalty that encompassed her.

She tucked her long dress under her, settling upon her legs and pulling her small shawl around her shoulders. It was only autumn, but the cold was already almost unbearable. A thin film of ice was beginning to grow over the windows, and the sun was dipping towards the horizon sending an orange flare over the world. It was a beautiful sight that quelled Allie’s nerves and ignited her desire to travel. Everything was so unfair. Allie was beginning to lose herself in her pleasant thoughts of exploration when a loud voice pulled her back to attention.

Someone was out on one of the guest balconies. Allie crawled forwards, forgetting the mess it would cause on her dress, to peer over the edge of the roof. When she saw who it was, she sucked in a deep breath. King Harry was striding up and down the top balcony, the only one that she could fully see. He was only around a metre or so from her. “I don’t want to stay here Kell!” He called angrily, throwing one of his arms up in disdain, “I’m already paranoid, and I haven’t even been here a day!” Allie wondered briefly if she should turn and run from this conversation, just as she had earlier in the day, and yet something captivated her. Listening to this put only _her_ in danger anyway. “I know, but we have no choice, the high court demanded it,” The familiar voice of Kelly floated up to Allie’s hiding place, but she couldn’t see the other woman.

“Just… if this goes wrong… make sure that my sister stays safe,” Harry reached out into a space that Allie couldn’t see, but she could guess that he had taken Kelly’s hands into his own. They remained in silence for a few seconds before Harry let go, turning to lean on the balcony wall and look out over the city. “Harry…” Kelly’s voice was faint and strained.  
“I mean it Kelly, this is a big risk and I don’t want her in danger, ever,” Harry affirmed in a commanding voice that Allie thought might rival Cassandras. Allie wondered why he was never like this when ruling or debating. “My sister will never face the burdens I do,” Harry said slowly, “If it is the last thing I do, I will make sure of that.” Allie felt a shiver run up her spine at his words. This was not the arrogant asshole king she always saw.

“How will you do that exactly, Harry?” Kelly asked, and Allie watched her move to stand by Harry’s side. “Cassandra,” Harry stated shortly, and Allie felt the blood drain from her body.  
“Harry… what do you mean?” Kelly sounded as if she was talking to a petulant child.  
“If or when I die… she can have the whole country,” Harry sighed with an exhaustion that Allie couldn’t imagine. Kelly stared at him in shock, her mouth hanging slightly ajar as she watches her king. “I may not like her in the slightest, but she is an adequate Queen. I would rather anyone else faced the horror of this job than my sister, I can never put her in this position,” Harry continued, and Allie could see him looking out over the city, “I love my sister too much to sign off on giving her a life of pain and paranoia.” Harry finally turned his head to look at Kelly as he finished his final sentence.

His expression was one of determined pain and resilience. In the fading evening sun, Allie could see why all the girls of the court swooned over King Harry, he was handsome for sure. Refined and messy at the same time, which made him inherently attractive. Allie found she couldn’t look away, she felt as if she was looking in on some intensely private moment. She probably was. Yet, the intensity to Harry’s gaze kept her eyes trained on him. “Okay,” Was all that Kelly said before she nodded and turned on her heel, seemingly fleeing the harsh eyes of the king.

Harry turned back to look out over the city and heaved out a long breath, his shoulders slumping and the rigid, commanding posture he held falling away. He leaned forwards, pressing his head onto his hands. Allie didn’t know how long he stayed in that position, but by the time he finally moved to go inside, night had fully fallen. Allie was freezing, but at the same time she was rooted to the spot, terrified of the king seeing her and guessing that she had been spying in on his private moment. It felt dirty. But, when he finally turned to go inside, Allie caught a glimpse of his face and the broken expression that decorated it. Her reverie broken, Allie lurched to her feet, looking out over the city for a second before fleeing back towards the warmth of her sector of the castle.

If she had been paying more attention, she might have seen King Harry falter in his step as she stood and look up to where she was. He looked at her like he was seeing a ghost, and he thought he was. Then he blinked and she was gone, the ghostly girl with the dirt stained pale pink dress and the long golden hair. Harry frowned and shook his head, there were no ghosts, simply signs of his overly taxed mind.


	2. Fated Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allie continues to have a bad time, and has a run of unlucky coincidences. (Very Allie-centric)

The next week passed with very little incident. Allie discovered that Will had been ill, and hadn’t been able to contact her, but was absolutely fine. The castle was alive with preparations for Cassandra’s wedding, and it seemed like there was ten times the number of people rushing around and decorating. Even Allie was forced into two days of dress fitting. While she loved to look nice and to try on pretty dresses with the girls from court who she considered friends, two days was a little much. Becca and Bean were good company, but they didn’t have to go through so many dresses or be poked in places that her designer thought she had put on weight. It was demeaning to be told she had to some exercise, Allie was really quite fit anyway.

However rude her designer may be, Allie was glad to be away from the tightly fitting corsets to enjoy some time with the guard. There was plenty of places to work out, but Allie enjoyed the company of the boisterous guard, especially one called Grizz. He was the softest among them and she would regard him as a brother if she was allowed to. Spotting Grizz stood with the leader of the castle guard, a kind man called Luke who was married to Helena head of the church, Allie called out to them. She jogged over, a bright smile on her face and wearing a pair of sparring trousers. It would be considered improper for her to wear trousers in most countries, but Cassandra had banished the rules that stated women were not allowed to wear such clothes. It was still strange to many, but Allie was thankful for the change.

“Allie! What brings you down here?” Luke asked with a grin. Grizz’ face lit up as he watched her bound over to them and he pulled her in for a short hug.   
“My dress maker says I need to lose some weight,” Allie huffed annoyedly, folding her arms tightly in shame.  
“Oh come on, that’s bullshit,” Grizz snorted incredulously and Luke nodded in agreement.   
Allie smiled warmly up at the pair, “Thanks, its always good to see you.” They smiled back and excused themselves with a friendly goodbye, leaving Allie with a short wooden sword and a practice dummy. Allie was proud of her ability to hold her own in battle. Cassandra told her that she would never need to fight and that learning to use the sword was pointless, but she wanted to learn. Allie would never be caught unprepared, not like her parents.

She was focusing so intently on her training that she didn’t hear the heavy footsteps that thudded their way up behind her. So, when a voice sounded out behind her, she jumped out of her skin, wheeling round to smack her sword into them. It was as she moved that she realised the man she was about to swing her practice sword into was none other than King fucking Harry. To her luck, he ducked out of the way, catching her sword in his left hand. “You might want to watch out,” Harry smirked, a cocky grin spreading across his face as he saw the absolute horror that passed over Allie’s face. She pulled her sword from his hand and stumbled back slightly, shock coursing through her. She had nearly whacked _the King_ with a practice sword. “I’m sorry, you made me jump,” Allie explained shakily.

Harry’s grin only widened, and she was slightly grated by the air of arrogance that lived around him. The vivid memory of how he acted on the balcony was fresh in her mind, but he was still King Harry, the arrogant twat of the south. “Wouldn’t want you to ruin my face, I need it to fake happiness at this wedding,” He drawled, and Allie really wished she had hit him.  
“How thoughtful of you,” Allie said through clenched teeth. Her disdain for him only seemed to make his arrogance grow, “Did you need something, _your_ _highness_.” Allie’s words were mocking and dripping with annoyance. Perhaps she should be afraid talking like that to the King, but Allie couldn’t help it. He really rubbed her the wrong way.

“I was going to ask you where I could find a sparring partner, but it seems I found one,” He replied and there was a devilish glint to his eyes that told Allie that this would not end well. She raised an eyebrow at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a further reaction. “Oh, you want to use the dummy?” Allie asked daringly, he could declare war for the way she was acting. A brief rush of panic flowed through her as she realised the implications her words might have on the country and on Cassandra. But Harry snorted slightly, looking shocked at the sound, as if he hadn’t been expecting it.

“Only if you’re too coward to take me on,” He teased, but there wasn’t the venom in his voice that she was expecting. Allie clenched her jaw shut, she really, really shouldn’t. But Allie couldn’t turn down the challenge, too stubborn and proud. So, she moved over behind the dummy and chucked the King a wooden sword almost identical to hers. “I’ll go easy,” Allie taunted bravely, readying herself and meeting his eyes for the first time. They sparkled with an intensity that Allie hadn’t expected, and yet she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. The inner workings of his mind were shrouded by the cocky grin and air of arrogance. Allie’s jaw twitched and he shifted his sword between his hands.

They lurched towards each other, swords clashing in the middle. For a while they went toe to toe with Harry putting on a look of nonchalance, feigning an easy fight, dipping and diving out of the way of Allie’s sword swings. After a while, however, the taunting smile vanished, replaced with a look of concentration as they ramped up the speed of the fight. Unknown to both of them a small group of guards and castle folk had gathered to watch them. It was unthinkable, the sight before them, the Princess of the North fighting the King of the South. Allie soon found that they were fairly evenly matched, her breathing was quick and fast, but so was Harry’s. After a particularly heavy bout of blows they each took a few steps back to face each other.

Harry eyed her with a surprised smile, “You aren’t half bad.” Allie scowled at him, but her thoughts were running haywire. He was shocked at her skill, but so was everyone else. He had offered to fight her, which meant that he wasn’t opposed to the ideals it represented. King Harry had surprised her twice in this trip. Before she had not considered him to be anything but an unruly leader who would condemn his country for personal gain. Allie wondered how wrong she was. “You’re not terrible either,” Allie replied, her scowl softening. She saw one corner of his lips quirk up slightly before a loud and unmistakeable shout from behind her snapped her attention away.

“Princess Allie! What is going on here?” Cassandra’s piercing voice cut through Allie’s heart. Oh _shit_. Cassandra was wearing what was for her, an everyday outfit, and yet she still looked more radiant and beautiful than Allie could ever hope to be. She even walked delicately and in a refined way that Allie couldn’t muster. Cassandra was perfect. “I’m sorry Cassandra, we-“ Allie began, but was cut off as Harry began to speak.   
“Sorry Your Highness, it was my fault. It would have been improper of the princess to turn down my request, no?” Harry explained, the arrogant grin remaining in place. He looked just as before, but Allie could see he was clenching his jaw tighter in distress. There were things zapping between the two monarchs and Allie had no idea what they were.

“Very well then. Allie, with me,” Cassandra said finally, with a dismissive wave of her hand she turned on a delicate heel and waltzed away. Allie chucked her practice sword to one of the nearby guards and frowned, risking a brief glance back to the cocky King. He wasn’t smiling anymore, he was staring after Cassandra with a frown, every piece of the teasing and mocking humour he had previously possessed washed away. His hatred of her sister ran deep, and it was requited easily. Cassandra never had a single good word to say about Harry. He was arrogant, ignorant, materialistic and careless. Allie knew that. Her thoughts flickered dangerously close to her saying something further to him. But Cassandra’s image flashed back into her mind and she followed her sisters lead, rushing to catch up to elegant Cassandra. Harry narrowed his eyes at the backs of the retreating Pressman sisters. He felt a storm coming, and he suspected that everyone in this palace knew more than he did.

Cassandra led Allie up to the throne room. It was incredibly glamourous with high ceilings and gold-plated trims that Allie believed to be more extravagant than even the tales of Harry’s luscious balls and parties claimed his palace to be. The Queen settled herself at a table to the left of her throne and turned to face her sister with warm eyes. “Allie, do I need to warn you to stay as far away from the King as you can?” Cassandra asked, and Allie might have been offended if it didn’t come from a place of care and worry. “I know…” Allie began, but could find no explanation for the events that had occurred. They didn’t even know she had spied on the King.

“I trust you Allie, more than anyone, it’s okay,” Cassandra reassured, pulling Allie gently down into the seat next to her and clasping their hands together, “That is not why I wanted to talk to you.” Cassandra began to frown deeply, conveying a nervousness that unsettled Allie. The Queen didn’t get nervous, she was calm and composed in the face of everything, she should be perfect. “Cass?” Allie asked tentatively, using her sisters old nickname. “There are stirrings in the high court, I fear that something big is coming,” Cassandra explained slowly, “And I fear it will involve me, with my wedding so close…”

“Not only that, but Prince Campbell will be attending the wedding,” Cassandra finished, brushing off her worried tone. Allie’s expression shifted from one of fear to disgust at the mention of her cousin’s name. He was repulsive and manipulative, caring only for his own goals and agendas. No-one even knew what he stood for, likely the furthering of pain and suffering. He had supplied money to the groups who intended to restart the war for some time. That was until he had struck an alliance of sorts with King Harry. Their alliance was a point of contention between Harry and Cassandra. Campbell was undoubtedly a sadist, and any interaction he had with the King could push them closer to war.

“I don’t want to worry you Allie. It’s just… that if anything happens, I want you to be prepared,” Cassandra continued as she took in Allie’s stricken expression. She blinked heavily, taking in everything about Allie’s being. “No, I know, it’s okay Cassandra… thanks for telling me,” Allie smiled weakly, internally worrying for Campbells arrival. The other things didn’t bother Allie as much, anything to do with the high court would not affect her, Cassandra could handle it, handle anything. Queen Cassandra nodded gratefully and switched the topic of conversation to her wedding and whether Allie was yet to find a dress for the occasion. Allie played along in small talk and chatter, Cassandra was often denied the chance to engage in court gossip or even such menial matters as clothes shopping. Allie knew she missed it.

It was well into the afternoon by the time Cassandra was called back to work with the prospect of some state matter that urgently needed her attention. Feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks, Allie strolled the castle grounds, searching for Will to spend some time with. She had only seen him once, briefly, over the whole of the past week.

Perhaps it was some infernal cosmic interference that led Allie to come face to face with one of the people that she least wanted to see. Whatever it was, Allie found herself swinging open a door into a small section of the garden by the guest house, one that was closed off from the rest of the castle, which made it perfect for secret meetings. As she swung the door open, she began to regret that she hadn’t checked the emptiness of the garden. Before she had even seen King Harry sat lounging lazily on the small bench in the centre of the courtyard, Allie had stepped out into the garden.

She froze in her position, sending a quiet curse to god. In a jerky motion, she attempted to back inside through the door she had previously flung open. Allie made it halfway back through the door before the increasingly familiar voice of the King floated over to her, “Princess?” He sounded suspicious above all else. “Sorry to disturb you, I thought it was empty,” Allie apologized hurriedly with a short bow. “Wait,” Harry called after her as she tried to leave. Allie stopped and turned back around to face him. Harry had stood up and was walking towards her, a carefree relaxed nature to his pose.

He stopped around a metre from her and dragged his eyes up and down her suspiciously. “Whatever you are looking for its surely in another garden,” Harry said shortly and brushed past her with a huff. His shoulder bumped hers and sent her tumbling slightly. Allie was fuming, how fucking rude of him, but before she could potentially ruin the peace of New Ham, Harry was already gone. Allie stomped her foot angrily and stormed off to look in the larger palace garden. It was certainly not Harry’s snide comment that pushed her to look in the big garden, no, she was planning on going there anyway.

At first glance one might assume the garden to be empty, but Allie knew there were a thousand and one hidden nooks and crannies where the ladies and gentlemen of the court snuck out to near the end of every ball or party. Wandering up to the first one, Allie was greeted with a sight she never wished to see. She froze, every fibre of her heart splitting apart and crumbling within her. It hurt more than anything she had ever felt before.

Will was stood near the back of the small enclave, Kelly Aldrich wrapped closely within his arms. He was looking at her like she was everything in the world, like nobody else existed. It was this pure form of affection that Allie had only ever seen reflected in the eyes of other couples who wander the lands. A glorious part of life that Allie is locked from ever experiencing. She stared for as long as she could, sure that she would not be spotted for they were so wrapped up in each other that they could not spare a glance for the world around them.

As she let out a strangled breath and fled from the sickly happiness of the man she loved being with someone else, some revengeful part of Allie’s brain told her to report them. Kelly was a lady, so they shouldn’t be together, in the same respect that Allie could never be with him. It was crazy that the truth she had already accepted still burnt her and sent a jarring pain coursing through her body. Allie could never be with Will, and she had already suspected that he did not share her feelings, but having her suspicions proved in such a way was a brutal slap in the face.

When the cracks across her heart finally began to spread, Allie fled from the gardens. Internally, she cursed every person she saw and had seen that day, King Harry above all. It may have been undeserving, but it was his fault that Kelly was single and then that she had gone to the other garden in such a huff. The tears were pouring down her face in an uncontrollable waterfall by the time she reached the place she was looking for. Not her room, no, Becca and Bean would be there, and she would risk seeing Cassandra or someone else on the way there. No, Allie went back up to the small section of flat roof that she so often frequented in her darkest moments.

It was practically dinner time, and people might start to wonder, to search for her. But she didn’t care. Let them come, she thought, let them find me so broken. All her makeup had run, and her hair had become loose and frizzy from running and crying. Her dress was dirty, where she had scuffed it and where she had wiped her eyes and snotty nose. Everything about her in this moment was so incredibly improper, that if she had the emotion to spare she would be incredibly ashamed.

Allie spent far too long sobbing her heart out in earnest pain over how stupid she was, and what an idiot she had been to genuinely hope for someone to think of her first. She was second best, always, and she didn’t care as long as Cassandra came first, because her sister was beautifully flawed and perfect in her negativities. Cassandra was so much better than Allie, and that was okay because Allie was safe in her shadow. But here, in this instance, coming second wasn’t okay. Even if they could never have been together, Allie had hoped that someone might just care for her, love her.

At some point Allie must have fallen asleep up on the roof, for the next thing she was aware of, she was being shaken awake. Blinking heavily, the world not quite yet in focus, Allie could see an icy darkness surrounding her on one side. On the other a dull but warm light was spreading over her, enveloping her comfortingly. Her expression deepened into a frown as all the memories of the day flooded through her. She thought she might start crying again, but she put a stopper in her emotions as she took in the rest of her surroundings.

Night had seemingly come some time ago, and the moon was just about peeking over the mountains behind her. It was so, so cold, it was as if the ice had set into her bones and was chilling her from the inside out. The warm light was coming from a lantern that someone was holding over her. That someone had was crouched behind her, and she would have to twist around to see who it was. In a slow, tired motion, she did just that, only to come face to face with a situation from her nightmares.

King Harry was crouched over her, dressed in what she presumed would be his pyjamas, a look of concern on his face. “What are you… what?” Allie grumbled, pushing herself further into the world of the living. “Are you okay?” Was all he asked as he withdrew the hand that had been resting on her shoulder. “I’m fine,” Allie answered briefly, feeling her skin heating up, “What are you doing here?”  
“You, snore,” Harry told her, and the concern lifted off of his face to be replaced with his signature grin. Allie felt like swearing angrily, but the thought of bringing more attention to her situation stopped her short. “What are you doing here?” Harry shot back, raising an eyebrow at her as she struggled up to sit. She would have rather had anyone else find her. Anyone.

Yet, life seemed insistent on throwing her back to King Harry, she hated that she couldn’t avoid him for the life of her. “It’s none of your business,” Allie hissed, shakily stumbling to her feet. Harry grabbed a hold of her arm to steady her and Allie found his grip to be strong and supportive. Still, she yanked her arm free once she was stood. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Harry sighed, so quietly that for a second, Allie wondered if he had actually said it, “You going back to your rooms?” That froze Allie’s racing mind. At this time of night, it was suicide to roam the castle. She could either slip and fall off one of the small balconies she had to traverse or be impaled by a surprised guard on patrol.

Allie opened her mouth to answer, but she had nothing to say. She was out of options, she couldn’t call the guard to aid her, not at this time of night, they would question things, and someone would get in trouble, namely her. Surely she couldn’t stay here, it was so cold, and she was shivering hard already. “I thought not,” Harry snickered, his mocking nature sending Allie to the defensive.  
“You could be a real man and offer to walk me,” Allie growled, there was so many reasons not to.  
“Yes and be killed,” Harry laughed tauntingly, “For which reason do you think? Being out at night, being out at night with the princess or maybe because I am the leader of the south, hmm?” Harry raised both of his eyebrows this time and waved a hand in the air in a mocking manner.

Allie huffed angrily and turned to look out over the city, what the fuck was she supposed to do? “No. I won’t walk you back, but you can stay,” Harry offered, pointing down towards where Allie knew his suite would be. “Are you insane?” Allie laughed incredulously. If she was caught staying in the same room as Harry, Jesus, that would be astronomically bad. “I see no other options for you,” Harry smirked, and Allie really wanted to punch him. She found her hand moving on instinct and stopped herself, waving it angrily instead, “Do you have any idea how bad that would be?”  
“I’m very aware,” Harry said, his face deadpanning, all hints of emotion vanishing. It was in this instance that Allie saw his persona drop, and some of the real Harry poke its way out.

“I would be in so much trouble, people would assume horrendous things, god! If anyone even knew I was simply talking to you!” Allie panicked suddenly, peering over the wall to check for wandering ears. “So that’s a yes?” Harry asked, and he was smiling at her in a strange way.  
“Fuck,” Allie cursed under her breath, but she knew he could hear her, he was stood fairly close, “Yes.” Harry’s grin widened, and the look on his face was not dissimilar to the expression Cassandra adopted when she couldn’t tell Allie something important.

Harry opened the door and let her through, then she made her way around to where she knew his room to be, stealthily sneaking up to corners and glancing around, while Harry did his best to ruin everything, swanning around corners as if he couldn’t care less. Once he had finally shut the door behind him, Allie relaxed slightly. For a heart racing second she thought he was going to lock the door, but he glanced up at her and instead set the keys on the table. Allie didn’t wait for him to say anything she flopped down onto the big plush chair by the big fireplace. She was probably forgetting herself, everything about the situation was against all she’d been taught, and she most certainly shouldn’t be mocking the king of the south.

“Make yourself comfortable then,” Harry snorted, and Allie could hear him moving around behind her. Without enough care to respond, Allie simply grunted in a manner that was anything but lady-like. A few seconds later something soft and furry fell over Allie, smothering and suffocating her. She let out a warbled cry as she threw it off of her. There was no resistance and Allie soon realised it was just a blanket. Allie clenched her jaw shut as she heard someone, clearly Harry, snickering somewhere out of sight. “Why are you doing this?” Allie asked as Harry finally came back into her view, reaching for a book that was set on the table by the fire. “Doing what?”

“Helping me.”  
“We’ll see if its helping in the morning, hm?” Harry sighed, a weight to his words that Allie somehow understood.   
“Prick,” Allie whispered a little too loudly as she drifted back into a deep sleep. As her breathing deepened, Harry watched her with pursed lips and tight knitted brows. Why _had_ he helped her? He knew why, the pain they shared. Harry didn’t hate Cassandra, not really, but he certainly didn’t like her. Allie however, she intrigued him, he had barely even noticed her existence before this extended trip, and now he was seeing her everywhere. He let his final look linger for a few more seconds before he headed out of the lounge and into ‘his’ bed. Harry made a note to poke at Allie in the next meeting they held, he wanted to push her out onto the field.

Was she hiding behind Cassandra, or was Cassandra hiding her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a lot more Grizz and Sam.


	3. Anxious Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Campbell and Sam arrive at the castle, giving Grizz plenty of time to get to know the Prince.

Grizz found the Monday morning a week before Queen Cassandra’s wedding held far too many surprises. The first, came when he went to find King Harry, to tell him he was to meet Cassandra in the throne room, and he saw Princess Allie (a girl he thought he knew like a sister) storming away from King Harry’s room, looking as if she was going to kill someone in a fit of fury. He had half a mind to call out to her and ask her what she had been doing, but then someone else might notice and he wasn’t about to get her into any trouble, he cared for her too much to do that.

Instead, Grizz walked up to King Harry’s door and knocked heavily, having to wait a few seconds before Harry pulled it open, wearing quite possibly the smuggest grin Grizz had ever seen him use. Although, one side of his face looked slightly red as if he had been slapped. Grizz couldn’t help but think it was Allie who might have thrown caution to the wind and slapped the King. Grizz’s curiosity only grew, what business would the Princess and the King have together. Grizz highly doubted that Allie would seek the King out, what with her sisters strong belief in Harry’s incompetence and arrogance, and Allie respected her sister. Whatever had happened, Harry didn’t seem to mind, greeting Grizz with a bright handshake. That only made Grizz more suspicious. “Morning, Grizz, isn’t it?” Harry welcomed him inside, and Grizz was astonished he knew his name. Harry was many bad things, but Grizz didn’t think he was the terrible man that Cassandra often made him out to be.

If anyone had a right to hate Harry, it was Grizz and the rest of the guard who had faced Harry in battle. Yet the guard seemed to love it when Harry went down to visit, accepting the southerner with open arms. Perhaps it was the idea that Harry wasn’t too dissimilar to them, having been in the same position as them, just mirrored on the other side of the war. It made him familiar and somewhat of a ‘dude’. “What can I do for you?” Harry asked, tipping his head to one side, exuding an arrogance that Grizz didn’t much like. “Cassandra has asked that you meet her in the throne room as soon as possible,” Grizz explained, “Alone.”

Harry’s face dropped and all that arrogance fell away for a beat before Harry summoned it back again. The King glanced into his room to something Grizz couldn’t see. “Did she say why?” Harry asked, his expression hard and serious. Harry understood, at least, when things were important. They both knew well enough that Cassandra held no actual power to command Harry, but if she requested to see him… it would no doubt be of the utmost importance. “No… but I would say it is to do with the future,” Grizz said carefully, hoping Harry would understand what he meant.  
“Right… show me the way,” Harry requested, with a kinder and softer edge to his voice. Grizz nodded in acceptance and began to walk away, a brief glance behind him telling him that Harry was trailing behind, clearly deep in thought.

It took a good ten minutes for Grizz to lead the King round to the throne room, where he let him through and turned to go before Cassandra’s regal voice called to him. “Yes, your majesty,” Grizz asked gently, as he bowed. “There is no need for such formality,” Cassandra assured him, standing to join him at the bottom of the steps that lead up to her throne, a great golden chair engraved with a hundred glittering gems and rocks. “I need you and some of the guard to greet Prince Sam and Prince Campbell at the gate, they are arriving today… so much earlier than I expected,” Cassandra trailed off slightly at the end, with a sharp glance to Harry who was pretending to inspect a large great sword hung on the wall, his ears truly trained on their conversation. “Then, I task you with the duty of looking after Prince Sam whilst he is here. Have Clark look after Campbell.”

Grizz nodded a little too eagerly before excusing himself out of the room, Harry’s eyes following him as he left. The King was more perceptive than Grizz may have accounted for, and something had piqued his interest.. As the door shut behind him, he heard Cassandra’s voice sound, hailing the start of whatever discussion was so important she would _choose_ to be in the King’s company. For Grizz, this day could only get better. Campbell’s arrival would set a dampener on the rest of the castle, he was a terrifying man, and many suspected his new girlfriend he had met in the south, would rather not be anywhere near him. The rumours that Lady Elle’s father had owed Prince Campbell flew like wild birds. There were many other, darker, rumours that Grizz had heard passed around his barracks too. Ones he hoped were far from the truth.

The rest of the castle may be put off by his arrival, but Grizz wasn’t. Campbell’s arrival was outshone by Sam’s. The prince could never be aware of Grizz’s childish crush on him, it was one that Grizz could never hope to come to anything. While New Ham as a whole was a fairly progressive country, women were accepted as equals in both the south and north (even if they were still expected to fill certain roles), they still did not accept the idea of a man with another man. Not only that, but Grizz wasn’t truly sure that the Prince was even attracted to other men. Sure, the rumours surrounding Prince Sam’s sexuality were numerous and many had reported seeing Sam with one of the service men in his own castle, but he just couldn’t be _sure_.

No, Grizz could only live to dream of such outlandish fantasies. He barely even allowed himself his dreams as it was, to dream of such a life pushed him dangerously close to attempting to bring it to reality. Losing himself in such pleasant thoughts could lead Grizz to never wanting to wake again.

He strode through the familiar castle walls, heading for the barracks where he was sure to find Clark. If the buffoon of a man wasn’t there, he would be in the gardens following after Lady Gwen, who had arrived from the south for the wedding. The royals have the biggest issues with the north and southern divide, the rest of the castle folk had already put such matters as the war behind them. Grizz knew all too well what it was like to be following orders, and not knowing why he was doing what he was. There was no reason to blame people such as Lady Gwen or even King Harry for the mistakes of their parents and ancestors.

Almost as Grizz began to lose himself in another train of thought, he rounded the corner into his barracks. As suspected, Clark was lounging on his bed aimlessly swinging a practice sword in his hand while Jason, Shoe and Luke played some form of poker, cards and fake chips scattered around them. “Grizz, what’s up dude?” Clark asked airily, his voice sounding vaguely dazed.  
“Queen’s orders, you’re to look after Campbell, once he arrives… today,” Grizz explained with a grimace, Clark wouldn’t take to having to do work. “For real man?” Clark groaned, but he was already pushing himself to his feet. “Yeah, I’ve got the other Prince,” Grizz added, hoping to convey a nonchalance that he wasn’t feeling into his voice.

“The easy one,” Clark grunted, “Campbell’s a fucking psycho! Last time he was here, he gave one of the newbies a black eye.” At the loud tone of his voice, the rest of the guard present had turned to listen in. “Campbells arriving today? I thought he was only coming for the wedding,” Luke frowned, gathering his things together. Luke would have to warn Helena, who despised Campbell with a passion, and would need a heads up to avoid the foul man lest she come as close to punching him as she had last time. “Apparently not, its like him though, to cause more chaos,” Grizz sympathised, patting Luke on the shoulder as he left.

“Good luck buddy,” Jason called to Clark as he left, grumbling all the way, “You too Grizz.” In response, Grizz gave him a short wave and wandered down to his bed by the exit. Stuffing his books carefully back into storage, he wouldn’t have free time off today to read them anymore, Grizz left for the main gate. Cassandra might well kill him if he was late for her cousins arrival. The first smell of any weakness was too much fuel for Campbell. Clark was right, when he came before, he challenged a new-blood guard member to a duel and beat him half-senseless, claiming that any guard member should at least be able to defeat him.

Luckily for everyone, Campbell and Sam didn’t arrive for another three hours. This gave the news of Campbell’s arrival to spread to every corner of the castle, Grizz knew when the kitchen boys scurried by the entrance and the chambermaids looked to any arriving carts with fear evident in their eyes, that word had spread. Grizz and Clark were left to watch on in a tense anticipation. He felt bad for Clark, he really did, putting up with the royal asshole for a whole week? Grizz would never switch places with him, for more reasons than one.

He didn’t know how he was going to cope a whole week; he was awkward enough around the Prince as it was. Stuttering and stumbling over his words on the few occasions that Sam had paid any attention to him, and then cursing himself for it later. Oh, what a fool Sam must think him to be. Either way, he was glad to get to spend time with the other man. Sam was somewhat of an enigma. Not many knew much about him, bar, perhaps his best and closest friend, Lady Becca. They were generally inseparable, with Becca even going so far as to learn sign language to communicate with Sam. Grizz often saw them at balls or meetings, tucked away in the corner, laughing over something or other.

Finally, the loud clatter of hooves and carts indicated a large procession entering through the front gate. Beside him, Clark jumped to his feet in a burst of fear. Grizz could see the effect rippling around the courtyard. If possible, the castle folk began to bolt for exits or back up from the entrance. The large black carriage ground to a holt, impressive golden patterns twisted around the door and onto the roof. In one swift motion, the stagecoach hopped off the front of the vehicle and flung the door open. Grizz and the rest of the courtyard waited with bated breath, who would be the first to arrive?

To Grizz’s and everyone else’s luck, Sam himself hopped down out of the carriage, casting a tired glance over his surroundings. It seemed to take a second for the tension in the air to dissipate and the castle people to realise that things were fine, for now. When the air finally snapped, there was somewhat of a collective sigh of relief, one that Grizz could almost feel in his bones. A few cheers sounded about the courtyard, not that Sam was aware. The Prince didn’t seem to care, fixing his jacket with a focused gaze. Realising it was his job to do something, Grizz stumbled forwards with a nervous wave. “Um, Prince Sam?” He tried, looking to the Prince awkwardly, “I’m Grizz, Cassandra asked me to watch over you while you’re here. Show you around and stuff.”

“Right… you speak too fast Grizz,” Sam said, with a sly smile that told Grizz he was joking. In that instant, he could see a resemblance between Sam and his cousin Allie, both relentless in their mocking of Grizz. “Ah, sorry,” Grizz apologised hurriedly, and then realised his mistake, as Sam gave a short laugh and a wave of his hand. “I should like to see my room,” Sam requested, “And you, I presume, will want to leave before my brother arrives.” Grizz didn’t have a response to that, and it seemed he didn’t need one as he picked up Sam’s bags and began to walk towards where he knew the guest rooms were.

“So, uh, was it a pleasant journey, your highness?” Grizz attempted, swallowing his nerves down.  
“Ah please, call me Sam,” The Prince smiled kindly, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously, “And yes, it was quite nice… especially with no Campbell.” Grizz frowned slightly, he was fairly sure you weren’t supposed to badmouth your royal siblings, but then again neither of the Pressman sisters ever had a good word to say about Campbell either. “What do you think of Lady Elle?” Grizz asked cautiously, a little gossip was risky but not treason. “She is lovely enough, I greatly pity her,” Sam responded after a few seconds of careful thought. Grizz had not thought Sam would indulge his curiosities. “Are they true then, the rumours?” He asked, just hoping to start some form of conversation.

“Ah, you may have to be more specific,” Sam laughed quietly and seriously, “That my brother is insane? Yes, I find that to be quite true. Or perhaps you mean the one that claims Elle was her fathers way of settling a debt. That one, is also, true. Most rumours, I find, have one foot in the truth.” Grizz frowned, the Prince’s words had some double meaning, and he didn’t know what the other side looked like, though he longed to. “How about you, Grizz, what do you think of Lady Elle?” Sam asked, the mischievous twinkle reappearing.  
“I’ve never met her… but I think that no child should bear the mistakes of their parents,” Grizz said, slowly this time, showing Sam he was listening.

“That is a strong moral stance,” Sam mused, “So… what are your thoughts on the war?”  
“It was pointless. If a war is to be fought, lives to be lost, there must be a strong cause. And I, for one, don’t know why we were fighting,” Grizz sighed, haunting memories of the past making a devilish appearance, “But I shouldn’t say that.”   
“Don’t worry what you say, as long as I agree, I promise not to tell Cassandra,” Sam grinned brightly, and Grizz felt a tug on his heart.

“You’re right of course,” Sam continued, slipping back into a state of concentration that Grizz couldn’t help but admire. Sam was smarter than Grizz had thought, and he seemed to want to talk to Grizz, something that made his heart shout far too loud. “I hear you are close to my cousin? Allie has nothing but praise for you,” Sam said, with a kind smile in Grizz’s direction. It seemed as if Grizz was in some parallel universe where the Prince cared enough about him to recall conversations where he had just been mentioned. Grizz pulled his nerves back in, just long enough to reply. “The Princess is certainly something, although I fear her spirit may land her in trouble,” Grizz sighed with a fond smile, if what he had glimpsed this morning was anything to go by, she may have already done just that. Sam laughed and shook his head slightly before his face suddenly became more serious, “I fear she will soon be opened up to all that Cassandra has hidden from her.”

“What does that mean?” Grizz questioned gently.  
“I have said far too much, but just understand that there are dark forces at play in this kingdom,” Sam whispered, resting a hand on Grizz’s arm. He almost didn’t hear what Sam said, his brain soaring with even so little physical contact. He was caught in a trap, staring at Sam and his enchanting eyes, so blue and wide. The silence stretched on for some time, as Grizz frowned down at the Prince before him. Sam looked up at him in concern, before withdrawing his hand and bringing back the winning smile Grizz was growing to appreciate. “Enough heavy conversation,” Sam said lightly, “I feel this is my stop, anyway, right?”

Grizz looked up in surprise, he had been so caught up in the conversation, and Sam, that he hadn’t even realised. But, sure enough, the seventh guest room was right in front of them, the door swinging lightly in an autumn breeze that was likely filtering in through some open window. The large brass key was in the door, ready for Sam to pick it up. “Grizz, would you be so kind as to find Becca? I need to talk to her, it’s urgent,” Sam asked, as he stepped away from Grizz into the room.   
“Of course, its no problem your-Sam,” Grizz stuttered, pedalling backwards a few steps.

“Your Sam?” He snorted mockingly, though there was no bite to his comment.  
“Sorry,” Grizz managed, feeling his cheeks heat up, he span around and rushed off to find Lady Becca. “She’s probably doing wedding preparations, with Allie!” Grizz heard Sam’s voice call out to him, though it wasn’t as loud as many others, and he regretted rushing off in such an impolite fashion. With a quick stride and embarrassment fuelling him, it didn’t take Grizz long to find Becca. Sam was right, she was helping to prepare for the wedding, by arranging delicate bunches of flowers and showing them to Cassandra, to see which she preferred. It seemed that they were going with the colours white and blue.

“Hey, Lady Becca,” Grizz called gently as he approached, not wanting to intervene on the proceedings. “Hello Grizz,” Becca smiled politely, glancing up to him as she twiddled a deep blue rose amongst a collection of white flowers. “Grizz!” Allie called happily, pulling the tall man int a brief hug. She looked as if she wanted to say something more but was called away with an apologetic look back in his direction. It seemed to Grizz, that there was something off with the girl as she smiled far less brightly than she had the day before. “Do you need something?” Becca asked gently, finally setting her flower arrangement down on her knee.

Becca was generally far more modest in her dress than the rest of the court girls, and yet she managed to look elegant and pretty all the same. “Yeah, Sam asked me to find you. He said he needs to talk to you, urgently,” Grizz explained with a creased brow. Becca’s expression moved to mirror his own, confusion playing on her face. “Right, then I best go,” She said, glancing forlornly down at the arrangement she was halfway through. She handed it to Bean with a whispered set of instructions that Grizz couldn’t hear, and then he was off once more, like some glorified errand boy. He didn’t mind so much, the walk around the castle gave way to some wonderful views out over the city, you could see so far that Grizz was almost able to make out his parents farm in the distant fields beyond the city.

“Cassandra appointed you to watch over Sam for the week, no?” Becca asked, making polite conversation. “Yeah, I guess my job will mostly be looking for you, huh?” Grizz joked carefully.  
“Sorry for that, I’m sure there are other things you would rather be doing,” Becca laughed, and Grizz understood why Sam liked Lady Becca so much, she was quick witted and yet incredibly kind. “It’s no problem, I could be stuck with… Campbell,” Grizz whispered at the end, in a conspiratorial way, leaning in and cupping a hand over his mouth like all the court girls seemed to do. Becca laughed again, it was a soft and chiming sound like bells in the wind.

Grizz thought for a second, considering the new idea that had crossed his mind. He wanted to get to know Sam more, but as it stood it was incredibly difficult to talk to him, with Grizz having to speak like his mouth was all swollen. “Although Lady Becca, could you help me with something?” Grizz asked cautiously, fearing that Becca may suspect his hidden intentions. “Of course, what is it?” She smiled brightly, seemingly cheerful at the idea of being helpful. “I’d really like to learn sign language,” Grizz started, pausing for a second to gather his racing thoughts, “Not just because of Sam, I’ve always wanted to learn…”

“Yes! I’d love to teach you,” Becca beamed, taking Grizz’s hands into her own, “On one condition.” Grizz opened his mouth and glanced down at their hands but couldn’t quite find the words. “I need you to model for me, and maybe get some of the others to help out too,” Becca explained with a cheery smile. “Model?” Grizz enquired curiously.  
“For my painting,” Becca supplied, pulling a paintbrush from her handbag, that Grizz hadn’t noticed she had been wearing. It was very pretty, with gold engraving down one side that read ‘_For my darling Becca_.’ Grizz wondered if it was from her late father, who was killed in the war.

“Okay,” Grizz agreed apprehensively, earning a shake of the head from Becca.  
“It’s not that bad!” She laughed indignantly, before swatting him on the arm and reaching forwards to knock on the guest room door ahead of her. Grizz gave her a lopsided grin and moved to towards the guard station room just opposite. The door swung open and Sam poked his head out before welcoming Becca into the room. However, as she stepped in, she called out to Grizz, “Meet me in the small gardens tomorrow morning!” Sam gave him a quick look with an eyebrow raised and a smile before the door shut behind him once more.

Over the next week, Grizz found Becca to be a sweet and patient teacher when it came to his half of the bargain, but somewhat of a mad woman when it came to the other half. She, luckily, never had him take his clothes off, but she did make him stand in fairly odd places. Her paintings were really quite beautiful, it was almost as if someone had copied exactly what Grizz’s eyes could see and pasted it onto paper. Overall, they had five lessons, with Sam joining them for two (The Prince was especially pleased when he learnt that Grizz was trying to learn sign language, something that greatly warmed Grizz’s heart).

He wasn’t too bad, but he wasn’t overly great. Becca had told him multiple times that he was learning faster than she had, but Grizz wasn’t sure he believed her. It was to Sam’s delight when he made a slip and said some remarkably strange phrase. One of the worst was when Grizz had tried to ask Sam how he was doing and instead said, ‘_Are you in the care of your chocolate?_’ Sam had been in fits of laughter for the best part of ten minutes.

Grizz had mainly managed to avoid Campbell, which wasn’t hard, as he had surprisingly spent most of the trip secluded in his room, much to the relief of the castle. All in all, things had been going well, Sam enjoyed talking with Grizz about philosophy, and had even leant Grizz one of his books on one of the subjects they had chatted about. Although, things were about to, very suddenly, change for the worse.

The morning of Cassandra’s wedding came with several revelations and the promise of a very big change that would result in Grizz losing some of his best friends to distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have posted all three chapters in one day, as I already had them written, but it might be a little longer until the next one. It should cover the whole of Cassandra's wedding, but I might split it into two.


	4. Burdens of a queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The High Court have important orders to give that don't go down too well with everyone else. Cassandra and Gordie's wedding begins.

Cassandra had never thought a day would come where she would find herself ever even coming close to agreeing with King Harry. He was obtuse, lazy, reckless, careless, selfish and an absolute asshole. He was always brash, rude and took every possible opportunity to send some snide remark or barbed comment her way. Every meeting was like playing some twisted game of tennis where insults fly instead of balls. Cassandra very strongly disliked Harry. Hate was no longer the word she would use. Five years ago, when everything had appeared far more ‘black and white’, she would have said hate. Now, however, the world was more of a grey colour and Harry, suddenly, wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

It was a week before her wedding, and Cassandra had sent her best guardsman, Grizz to fetch the King. She hoped he wasn’t too ignorant to turn her down, surely he could see well enough that if she asked for him, it was of the utmost importance. She was still filled with a mix of dread and relief as Grizz and Harry wandered into the throne room, Grizz looking mildly concerned, and Harry keeping his face as neutral as ever. And yet, his ever-present arrogance swelled and swayed around him like some mystic aura. She gave a few quick orders to Grizz and shot a disapproving look towards Harry as he browsed the contents of her throne room. There was something off with Grizz as he left, he was far too pleased at getting a task, but Cassandra chalked it up to boredom, or avoiding wedding duties.

“Looking for the best one to stab me with?” Cassandra called mockingly, seating herself in her ornate throne. “No, just occupying myself while I listened in to your conversation,” Harry called back, never turning to look at her, as would be polite. So brash and abrasive, what was she thinking turning to him. Harry eyed the large great sword on the wall for a few more seconds before turning to look at her. “How regal,” He snorted as he wandered up to stand before her. She might have been offended at the lack of propriety, but they were, technically, both monarchs and so they didn’t really need to exchange such pleasantries as bows and curtseys, but it was just polite.

“This is not the time for your childish remarks, Harry,” Cassandra snapped in a burst of annoyance, what right did he have, in _her_ throne room, _her_ kingdom. Harry’s smile faltered and his expression turned dark for a moment. “Why am I here, Cassandra?” He asked, folding his arms before him.  
“You brought no-one with you, no spies?”   
“Of course not, there’s barely anyone from the south even in the castle.”  
“I need you to swear, on something, that everything we say here, goes no further,” Cassandra growled, rising to her feet. From where she was standing, she towered over Harry, who was still stood at the bottom of the steps that led up to her throne.

“Is this really necessary?” Harry frowned, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips. Cassandra was beginning to get frustrated; she took several steps down so that they were eye to eye. Some part of her was aware that they were almost the same height. “Okay, I swear on my kingdom, this goes no further,” Harry sighed, raising his hands in mock-surrender.   
“Then we need to talk about the high court,” Cassandra said, and cursed herself for being so blunt. It, at least, got a reaction from Harry. His eyes flashed with fear and he glanced about the room anxiously, jaw clenched, and arrogance diminished.

“Fucking hell Cassandra,” Harry hissed quietly, leaning towards her as if the high court was stood but a meter away. “I know, you think I would be doing this if I had the choice? Something is coming, Harry, and it’s coming for us,” Cassandra whispered, Harry’s anxiousness rubbing off on her. Harry looked into her eyes for a second, searching for answers she doubted he would find, before huffing and stalking over to a table where he thumped down into a seat. “You’re right, I’ve heard the same thing,” Harry said quietly.  
“I don’t want war,” Cassandra muttered, mainly to herself as she sat opposite Harry.  
“Neither do I, not now I know you had no part in my mothers death,” Harry huffed after a few seconds of silence, it was almost as if it pained him to admit it, “If only I could take down those who did.”

Cassandra found herself without anything to say, which was incredibly rare for her. She glanced up at Harry, who was staring down at the ring he wore on his finger, she could guess who it had belonged to. For a while, neither of them said anything further, too afraid to break the understanding they had found. Cassandra wondered who Harry truly was, without the fake confidence and aggravating personality he painted on himself. “They will want to strengthen the ties between us, I suspect, or break them, who knows,” Harry said eventually. Cassandra nodded, although she was wobbly and feeling a little light-headed, she had just realised what was coming, and as her eyes met Harry’s she thought maybe he might too. His expression melted to match hers as he took in the terror-stricken expression of his equal. The fear she felt at realising what had been planned for her was mirrored in the one person in the world who just might understand her, the person who was her opposite and her reflection.

It wasn’t until a week later that Cassandra met with Harry again. Although this time, it wasn’t her that called the meeting, and there were a fair few more people present. Cassandra was sat at her throne, the large and uncomfortable crown balanced elegantly on her head. Beside her, leaning on her throne as if he couldn’t care less, was the one person who would dare, Harry. He was wearing what looked like training gear, and she suspected he had been down with the guard. Sat in front of her on the steps, was one of the two people she cared for more than anything else, Allie, her little sister. The other person she cared for, Gordie, was sat at a table off to the left of the throne alongside Sam, they were deep discussion about something, Gordie’s hands flying as he signed to the best of his ability. The only other person present, was Grizz, who was idling around, trying to find something to occupy himself with, he wasn’t sure why Cassandra had asked him to stay.

They were waiting for one more person to arrive, that person was late, ten minutes late, Cassandra was sure it was some power play, showing them that even on her day, they could delay her and still have her following after them like some dog.

Finally, he arrived, a representative of the High Court. All she knew of him, was that his name was Pfeiffer. He was dressed in robes not dissimilar to those of the priests at the church, with the only major difference being the gold trim lining the edges. He had a large folder gripped in his arms, emblazoned on the front was the coat of arms symbolising the high court. Lagging behind him was a tall ginger man with deep set eyes and a long black cloak covering most of him. His presence was unnerving, and Cassandra wondered where she had seen him before. He shot glancing looks around the room, as if canvassing it for something, consigning the design to memory.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, we have an important order to convey,” Pfeiffer said, his jovial smile conflicting with the serious tone of his voice. Cassandra sat up, every muscle in her body tensing and setting her nerves alight. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gordie and Sam move to stand nearer to the throne and beside her, Harry straightened. Even Grizz sensed the change in atmosphere and he moved to stand closer to them all. Pfeiffer regarded them all with a cautious eye and laid his folder on the table before him, retrieving a piece a paper with a swirling design on the back.

“The court sends their best regards to Queen Cassandra Pressman and To-be-king Gordie Moreno, and they hope that the wedding is a success,” Pfeiffer began, pausing to look over them all. Cassandra felt Gordie place a hand on her shoulder and she lifted her own hand to rest it over the top. “This is it,” Harry whispered, so quietly Cassandra might have mistaken it for a gust of wind.  
“They then decree that King Harry Bingham shall be hereby engaged, to be wed,” Pfeiffer paused again, and Harry stepped forwards, “To Princess Allie Pressman.” Cassandra simply sighed, leaning into Gordie, who grabbed her arm with his other hand.

“What?!” Harry and Allie cried, almost in unison. Allie leapt from her feet with a cry of anguish.   
“You can’t do that!” Allie shouted; fists clenched tightly by her sides. Cassandra swallowed nervously, taking in the looks of shock present on the faces of everyone around her. There was still a look of smug happiness on Pfeiffer’s face. The thing that disturbed her the most was the wide smile that was plastered on the man with the black cloak, it stretched too far and made him look animalistic in the dappled morning light.

Harry walked forwards, a look of dazed pain on his face as he snatched the paper from Pfeiffer’s hand. His mouth was hanging open as he scanned the paper disgustedly. Allie joined him a second later, reading over his shoulder. Sam had moved to stand by Grizz, eyeing Pfeiffer from a distance. Allie looked up and met Harry’s eyes, seeing the shock and pain she felt copied over. She felt almost as if she had to say something, but no words could some. It didn’t seem real, that she would be _married_ to him, _fucking married_, to Harry Bingham. Just two weeks ago she had been imagining a married life with Will, then that had gone out the window, and now she was going to marry the leader of the south and have no control in her life.

“Cassandra, they can’t… you… please,” Allie gasped, begging now. But the look of resigned pain on her sisters face sent her mind tumbling. It was almost as if Cassandra had known, known this was coming. Allie couldn’t deal with this, she couldn’t, it shouldn’t be happening. This was something that Cassandra protected her from, Cassandra should have dealt with this, it was what she did. Pfeiffer said something more, but Allie didn’t hear it, what was the point? She was consigned to a miserable life, she could never fall in love, it was now locked away from her.

Allie didn’t know how much time passed with her simply staring off into the distance, unable to focus on anything. She thought she might be swaying on her feet, and then she was on the floor, unable to do anything. Harry looked at her for a second and then looked up to meet Cassandra’s eyes, for him, in some ways, this was a relief. He had known something was coming, but it was still a shot in the heart. He watched, as if far away, as Allie fell to floor beside him, and he was yanked back to himself. He left the room shortly after, needing space, alcohol, anything but the stuffy enclosed feeling in that throne room.

“Cassandra,” Allie said eventually, rising onto shaky legs to stare at her sister.   
“I can’t do anything Allie,” Cass said, and her voice was strained as the tears slipped down her face, “I’m so sorry, please… Allie.” At this point, Sam motioned for Grizz to follow him and they left the room. It was awkward, and Cassandra had called Sam to witness the scene, and Grizz to follow, just in case the High Court tried something. “Did you know? When you told me something was coming, did you know?” Allie asked, an unreasonable anger bubbling within her. Allie walked towards her sister with the light shining on her back, making her appear as if she was on fire.

“No… Allie, I didn’t know,” Cassandra gasped through the tears, diving up out of Gordie’s grip to pull her sister into a hug. Allie couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed into a heap of tears leaning into Cassandra as they collapsed to the floor, each sister holding the other up as they sobbed into each other.

It took a whole hour for Cassandra and Gordie to soothe Allie back to herself, and to calm her down. By the end of it, Allie was still hurt, and she thought she might be for a long time. There was a large part of her life that she would never experience. At the end of the hour, Harry returned to the throne room, with the paper he had fled with. “Is there any way out of this?” He asked, handing the paper to Gordie with a forlorn frown. He glanced to where Allie was seated in the throne, her eyes rimmed with red and tear streaks still on her cheeks. “No… no,” Gordie frowned, looking up to Allie as if he wanted to say something more.

“What is it?” Allie asked tiredly, wiping at one eye with her hand.  
“It states that after the wedding, you must return to the south with King Harry,” Gordie explained sadly. Allie thought that the news would devastate her more than it did, but a numbness had fallen over her, and she didn’t have the strength to care at the moment. “So soon?” Cassandra squeaked, her voice breaking at the end. Harry frowned at them, “I can stay in the north for a little longer.” Cassandra eyed him suspiciously for a brief second, but it soon fell away, “No, that would cause more problems.”

Harry nodded and made movements to leave again but was halted by Cassandra grabbing his shoulder. “Promise me, please promise, that you’ll take care of her… swear on your own sister,” Cassandra pleaded, all of her regal and commanding nature lost. “How do you…” Harry began, but Cassandra shook him, her nails digging into him, “I… I promise.” Cassandra nodded and gulped before dropping her hand and moving back to Allie’s side. Harry took one last look over the room before walking from the room.

“Allie, you can do this… we’ll do everything we can to fix this… I love you,” Cassandra said softly, hugging her sister close. “I know, I trust you,” Allie whispered, leaning her forwards to press her forehead against Cassandra’s.

Shortly after, Cassandra and Gordie had to leave for wedding preparations, leaving Allie to make her own way to meet the other ladies of the court and get her bridesmaid dress on. As she wandered the halls of the castle, what had once seemed warm and cosy was now pushing in trapping her. All Allie wanted to do was sink to the floor in the middle of the hallway and collapse into a never-ending sleep. Just when she thought she might do so, despite the maids and butlers swarming past her, a painfully familiar voice called out to her. She stopped dead in her tracks, because maybe, if anything, they might just understand Allie’s problem.

“Allie,” They said, much quieter now they had caught up. She spun around to face Harry, finding herself reflected in his vaguely teary eyes. “I just, I’m sorry for this… if I could change it I would,” He mumbled, nose scrunched up, like he didn’t want to say it. “It’s not your fault,” Allie said, a little too bitterly, “You didn’t know, right?”   
“No, I had no idea what was coming,” He admitted gently, and Allie wondered how much worse it could have been for her. “Well, either way, I guess you’re my fiancée now,” Allie smiled, though it didn’t meet her eyes.

“If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the worst person to be forced to marry,” He scoffed, hands clasped behind his back. What if, maybe, this was an okay option. She surely couldn’t ever be with Will, not after last week, or at all, this ‘arrangement’ solved that for her. Also, Allie knew very little about Harry, really, which could be good or bad, and she got to explore the south, a place that had been previously off limits. “I get to travel, at least. I never thought I’d be able to leave the city,” Allie told him, a small bit of happiness bursting through the gloom. “You’ve never left this city before?”

“No? What with the war, and everything, I’ve just never… I’ve been just outside, to the farms,” She tried, feeling oddly ashamed by Harry’s incredulousness. “So, all you’ve ever seen is mountains and cold? You’ve never seen the ocean?”  
“Is that bad?”  
“Terrible! Well, we can soon fix that. You can even go on a boat trip,” Harry laughed, he seemed so different here and now than Allie had ever seen him. Truthfully, the idea of sailing on the open sea cheered Allie up majorly, and Harry being nice to her? It seemed that things wouldn’t be too bad.

“I’d, actually, like that,” Allie said, looking surprised at her own admission.  
“The world is your oyster, Pressman,” Harry mocked, but with a genuine half-smile as he gave her a short wave and sauntered off. Maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

By the time Allie was finished getting dressed and having her hair and makeup done, the wedding was beginning. She was amazed by the sights before her. The large gardens had been transformed with rows upon rows of chairs and even a few pews taken from the small castle church lined up before a huge arch of woven flowers and vines. Lanterns were strung overhead, each one decorated with stained glass panes depicting flowers and gardens. The aisle itself was covered in light pink petals that shifted dangerously in the evening wind. The walls of the garden had been strung with wall climbing plants and little triangles of bunting. The small pond was lit up with candles floating atop lily pads on its black shimmering surface.

Allie walked in behind Cassandra, holding up one side of her long train. Cassandra looked incredible, like some sort of goddess descended from the heavens. She wore a dress with long sleeves of lace that ended with a point, tied around each of her middle fingers. The lace continued down her back to form a triangle from each of her shoulders to the bottom of her spine. The front was a very simple plain white silk, with a long flowing skirt that rippled in the wind. The train of her dress stretched out two metres behind her, Allie and Becca keeping it off the ground. Her veil only covered her face, stretching down over her neatly curled hair.

She was so beautiful, and Allie was so proud to see her sister so happy, she didn’t notice the quiet whispers that flitted around the courtyard as she sat down beside Harry in her assigned seat. Everyone had heard the new now, that quiet little Princess Allie was going to be wed to the loud King of the south. But, in that moment as Cassandra said her vows with the widest smile Allie had ever seen, and such love in her eyes, it didn’t seem to matter. She glanced at Harry to see that even he had a bemused smile on his face, one that was not unkind, but reflected a kind of warmth.

Right then and there, it all didn’t seem to matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I estimate that this should have about 13 chapters, but this might change as in my plan, some of the chapters seem a bit long!


	5. Love and Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding continues, with an interruption from Campbell and some confessions.

Despite the previous events of the day, and the overarching knowledge that the woman he considered to be like a sister was being forced into an unhappy marriage hundreds of miles from their home, Grizz was thoroughly enjoying the Queen’s wedding. He was first, astounded by the incredible work Becca and the other ladies had done to transform the whole castle and to plan the whole event (Grizz made sure to tell Becca so when they met), and then he was amazed by how happy Cassandra was. He couldn’t remember a time when the Queen didn’t have something else on her mind, a pressing national matter or some personal conflict. But, for one night only, she could push it all away and revel in the happiness that she so sorely deserved.

As per the usual course of events in New Ham, such a peace didn’t last. Grizz had expected something to occur, some panic or argument on the dance floor. Instead, it came at dinner, with everyone seated on their respective tables, the arrangement designed to reduce the probability of a disagreement. However, there were some placements that risked an upset, but etiquette and circumstances required the planners to take the risk. Grizz had expected King Harry, seated at the head table, on the left, only Allie between him and Cassandra, to be the one to cause an uproar. He, surprisingly, seemed perfectly contented to simply shoot longing glances at the back doors.

Originally, Becca and the team had put Harry at the end seat of the head table, on the right beside Kelly. However, much to Becca’s dismay, a man in a long robe waving official High court documents had swanned into the room earlier in the day and demanded that the engaged pair be seated together. Sam had been forced to answer for Becca, who had gone practically red in the face with frustration. After the man had left she had promptly turned to him and cried something along the lines of, ‘_What the fuck! I have spent months planning this, and he expects me to- to change it all up?_’ and then continued for several more minutes before she set to switching places around.

Grizz was wrong in thinking Harry would be the one to cause trouble, he had overestimated the conscience Campbell. Thinking the man might restrain himself because it was _his_ _cousin’s_ wedding, Grizz hadn’t thought he would push buttons and cross lines. Grizz had been wrong. Just after Allie’s perfectly prepared speech about how much she loved her sister and her wish for a happy future, Campbell had stood up and clinked his fork against his glass, Elle looking up at him with eyes swimming with fear. From where Grizz was sat at one of the front tables, he could see Cassandra roll her eyes and Allie frown angrily, fork clenched tightly in her hands. Even Harry looked vaguely shocked.

Sat just across from him, Grizz could see Becca let out a huff of a sigh and clench her jaw together. He felt for her, she had worked so hard on this, planning and preparing to make sure everything went well. Grizz looked up and his eyes caught Sam’s, and the Prince quickly pulled a face that seemed to say, ‘_here we go again’_.

“Hello everyone, I’m sure you all know who I am. I actually wasn’t scheduled to have a speech today, if you would so believe, but I just couldn’t resist. My dear cousin, is getting married!” Campbell began, with a smug grin and devilish eyes, “I do, truly, hope that her marriage is a successful one. Now I must say, over these five years Cassandra has certainly ruled over us all.”

Grizz could almost feel all the tension in the room, Cassandra shifted about angrily, glaring up at her cousin. Campbell paused, looking over the room, something stirring in his eyes that came close to making Grizz squirm in his seat. “And don’t let me forget, Gordie, whose brain rivals any other. I look forward to seeing how he is as a _King_,” He gestured as he spoke, his voice reaching even the furthest corners of the room, “So congratulations to Cassandra!”

“But wait! There are more congratulations in order, to my other _dear_ cousin,” Campbell smirked mockingly, “Whose wedding shall unite our country, what a good choice in men you have, sweet Allie. To happy ever after, no?” He finished his speech by sending his glass into the air. A round of muted cheers and responses made out of fear and politeness followed. Campbell seated himself once more with an aggravating self-satisfied grin and leant down to Elle, whispering things Grizz didn’t ever want to hear.

It was subtle, but many of the crowd were able to pick out the quiet threats and the mocking hidden behind a curtain of sarcastic well wishes. Cassandra, as per usual, was the one to regain order, standing up and telling the world of her love for Gordie, with an edge of annoyance that melted back into softness as she spoke. Once her speech was finished, the plan seemed to fall apart, things were out of order and no-one seemed to know who should talk next. There was a small rumble of hushed whispers rolling over the hall, as people looked to Cassandra for instructions. Her speech was meant to be last, so who went now? Who was after Campbell? Becca was hissing quietly across to another table where Bean and Gwen were talking animatedly.

Finally, a loud clang rang through the room and Grizz, alongside everyone else, snapped his head round to look at the source of the noise. Harry had stood up and was looking over the crowd with an air of poised nonchalance. Grizz frowned, what could Harry have to gain by speaking, worsen the situation?

“Now, as I think everyone knows, I have never really seen eye to eye with Queen Cassandra,” Harry spoke loudly, and there was a commanding edge to his voice that quelled any whispers, “But, even I can’t deny that she and Gordie are a perfect match. I truly wish you the best of happiness, luck and prosperity in your future.” As he finished, he raised his glass and turned to look at Cassandra, who was both frowning and smiling at the same time. “Cheers to Cassandra and Gordie,” He called out over the room, eliciting a round of applause and cheers from the rest of the procession. Grizz had to admit, that was wholly unexpected. Harry taking charge and putting everything back on track to save the wedding? Odd, but not in a bad way.

They finished off dinner with no other interferences, though Grizz noted the suspicious glances Campbell repeatedly threw in Harry’s direction. Then, rolled around what was, in Grizz’s opinion, the best part of the wedding. The procession went back out into the courtyard where a large dance floor had been cleared in the centre. Cassandra and Gordie performed the ‘first dance’ in the typical tradition of the north, with fake snow thrown over them by the groundskeepers. Then the party began. More people from the city had arrived crowding out the whole castle from the courtyard to the towers. As the biggest wedding since before the war began, everyone wanted to be there.

Grizz found himself dragged around by Becca who was eagerly fixing things and calling for people to bring more wine or change the music. Eventually, Becca vanished somewhere in a swarm of southern nobles who were excitedly making their way to the dance floor. Just when Grizz was thinking of sneaking off to find somewhere quieter, where he could look over the party, Allie appeared beside him. Her hair had mostly managed to stay up in the bun her stylist had created, which Grizz thought was impressive, as she had glowing red cheeks and a red wine stain on the hem of her skirt.

“Grizz! Grizz! Oh lord, I’ve been looking for you all night!” Allie shouted over the loud hubbub of music and chatter. “Allie! Are you doing okay? With, you know…” Grizz asked, pulling Allie just inside a door to his left, allowing him to hear her. “No, I’m doing alright, it’s not the worst I guess. But… I do have to leave tomorrow, to go to the south,” Allie said, her smile vanishing and a heaviness descending over her that Grizz couldn’t relate to. “It’s okay Allie, we can come visit you anytime,” Grizz grinned, bumping her gently with his elbow, “And, since it’s your last night, I think you should have fun.” Allie smiled shyly back up at him, the hurt in her eyes shrinking a little.

He offered his hand down to her and pulled Allie back out onto the dance floor. Grizz stays with her as long as he can, pushing past people he doesn’t think he’s ever met. But then he’s stood laughing with her one second, looks away to wave to Luke where he’s arm in arm with Helena, and Allie’s gone, swallowed up by the crowd. Grizz moves to make his way out of the throng of people, feeling a little overwhelmed as he’s swamped by a seemingly endless number of bodies. What pulls his focus, and leads him out, is some loud shouting somewhere near the pantry.

When he got to the edge of the courtyard, where there were fewer people but still as much noise, he found Cassandra glaring violently at Campbell as Gordie tugged on her shoulder, looking intensely worried. “Do you want chaos?” Cassandra growled angrily, no room for fear in her eyes.  
“No, do you think I’m crazy,” Campbell responded flatly, an unsettling lack of emotion to his tone.  
“You’re something!” Cassandra hissed.  
“Oh cousin, surely you can deal with me?” He mocked, folding his arms and baring his teeth like a cornered animal. “Fuck you Campbell! Fuck you and all the fucked-up shit you do!” Cassandra shouted angrily, flicking one hand up into the air and storming off, Gordie already by her side.

Campbell snickered to himself before snatching a glass of wine off a passing butler and heading towards the exit, where Grizz could see the hunched over form of Elle. It was as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible, and Grizz couldn’t blame her, Campbell was intense and threatening at the best of times.

With a short sigh Grizz made his way up onto the outer castle wall, swerving in and out amongst castle workers with a well-practiced ease. Eventually he rounded the corner and was brought to a sudden and halting stop. Leaning out over the courtyard with a drink in one hand and a bemused smile, Prince Sam was watching the party move by. Without even thinking, Grizz wandered forwards, coming to a stop right beside Sam. The other man didn’t seem overly shocked, looking over at Grizz with a small smile that sent his mind racing faster than he could cope with.

“Hey, what are you doing up here?” Grizz spoke slowly, signing when he knew the words.  
“It’s nicer to watch, I can’t see anything down there,” Sam replied gently, with a shocking absence of his usual snarky comments, Grizz had expected him to say something along the lines of ‘standing’ or ‘cursing the ones I don’t like’. “Of course,” Grizz mouthed, no sound needed. They lapsed back into a strangely comfortable silence that Grizz was afraid to break. Sam would be going home come the morning, and Grizz was sadder to see him go than ever before, and he was ashamed to admit he had watched Sam leave plenty of times.

Some long minutes they spent simply watching the people move and sway, to what Grizz imagined, was for Sam a silent melody. He couldn’t imagine it, not being able to hear the breeze swish over your ears or the voices of your family and friends. He didn’t want to pity Sam, because Sam would hate that, but he wanted to understand in a way, what it was like for him.

“Can I tell you something?” Sam asked eventually, “but you have to promise not to tell anyone, or be weirded out…” Grizz frowned, he didn’t think he would be weirded out by anything Sam said at this point, if he asked Grizz to commit murder or hide a body, he wouldn’t even hesitate. “Yeah, I promise,” Grizz breathed, anticipation coiling through every part of him. Sam was frowning deeply, an impossibly sad look on his face.

“Grizz… I…” Sam trailed off, taking a deep and shuddering breath before turning to look Grizz in the eye, “I really like you, like a lot and I don’t need you to say anything, it’s fine, I know it’s wrong and everything. I just… I wanted you to know.” Now that, that stopped every thought in it’s tracks and turned off every part of Grizz that even functioned. It was beyond his wildest dreams because Grizz never thought it would ever be real. He was living in some kind of fantasy. All the while he was stood staring at Sam, mouth agape like some kind of frog.

“I’m sorry, I’ll go,” Sam smiled sadly, standing upright and starting to move past Grizz. Luckily, some distant part of Grizz’s brain took a hold and he reached his arm out, grabbing Sam by the shoulder and spinning him round to face him once more. “Uh-I… I really like you too,” Grizz breathed, subtly pulling Sam in closer to him. They were pressed up against each other and Grizz almost forgot how to breathe. At the same time, there was nothing he’d ever wanted more, and just like in very fantasy and dream Grizz had had since he fell for the Prince, he leant his face forwards and connected his lips to Sam’s.

Grizz thought the only thing that could happen now was fireworks going off behind him, because every part of Grizz was alight with a strange happiness that he had never felt before. When they finally pulled apart, each of them short of breath, Grizz thought he might just collapse. He was so lightheaded, and the small smile Sam was giving him did nothing to stop the acrobat that was swinging around in Grizz’s stomach and sending his head spinning.

After a few minutes, Grizz had mostly managed to gather himself together and was distantly aware of Sam stepping away from him and smiling the widest smile Grizz had seen him use. “That was unexpected,” Sam laughed faintly, “But, I do like surprises.”  
“I’ll bear that in mind,” Grizz smiled gently, enraptured in the blue eyes that smiled up at him. Grizz never wanted the moment to end, but as he heard Becca calling out her friends name, he knew it had to.

“Sam!” Becca called as she approached them, blissfully unaware of what she was interrupting.  
“Hey Becca, how are things going?” Sam smiled as Becca collided into him, hugging him closely. Now she was close enough, that even in the darker light of the walls, Grizz could see that she looked close to tears. Taking that as his cue to leave he smiled daringly at Sam and bid them farewell, slinking back into the mess of people in search of Luke.

“Sam, oh god, I need to get out of here,” Becca signed at Sam, sinking down onto the floor so that she was leaning up against the wall. “Why? What happened?” Sam asked slowly, joining his best friend on the dirty floor. “No, it’s not… oh Sam… everything’s going to be so bad,” She stumbled over her words as the tears that had been threatening to drop finally did, cascading down over her face in a downpour of sadness. “I’ve really messed up, oh so badly,” Becca hiccupped, swiping at the tears rolling down her face adamantly.

“Becca. Whatever it is, I won’t judge you, please… just tell me,” Sam sighed, resting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing with his thumb. “Sam, I’m pregnant,” Becca said, finally relenting into telling him what would surely soon become obvious to everyone around her. Sam froze briefly, eyebrows flying up in shock, before he pulled them back down again. “Who’s the father?” He asked.  
“I don’t want anyone to know,” She hissed back, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“Then I’ll just be known as some common slut, with a kid, but not married! What will everyone think of me,” Becca cried, burying her face down into her knees.  
“That’s easily solved,” Sam said comfortingly, “You get married.” Becca shot her head up to look at him with disdain. “Yeah? And who would ever marry me, knowing I’m pregnant, or at all?” Sam simply gestured down at himself with his hands, his expression turning serious. “You? But, you love men?”

“I know, and it’s not like I can marry one,” Sam sighed, a wistful look on his face.  
“But... but, you can’t be serious.”  
“I am deadly serious Becs. I can never marry anyone I truly love in a romantic sense, and I do love you Becca,” Sam explained with a small smile, “And, you would let me secretly date a man, and I would let you be with who you want.” Becca was looking at him, tears running down her face, but a small smile playing on her lips.

“Are you sure Sam? You have to be absolutely sure, because people are going to think this is your child,” Becca signed slowly, patting her stomach apprehensively.  
“Let them think that, you don’t want anyone to know the father. Well, here he is,” Sam said with a flourish, “I’ll make a great dad, and fake real husband.” Becca chuckled slightly before leaning forwards and pulling Sam in for a close hug. She gripped him close, sobbing quietly onto his shoulder while he gently rubbed her back.

When they pulled apart, Sam leant forwards and offered his hand out to her, “So, Becca Gelb, will you marry me?”  
“Yes,” Becca smiled through red eyes and cheek stained tears, taking Sam’s hand and laughing as a few more tears rolled down her face.

After managing to evade Grizz’s attempt to cheer her up, Allie had been pulled into the arms of Bean and Cassandra, dancing and laughing with painted smiles and shaky hands. Eventually she had snuck away to wander the familiar halls of her home. Allie barely left, never allowed or too busy following her sister to meetings and confrontations.

She ran a hand over the cool stone as she walked breathing in the icy night air and scanning her gaze over the portraits and tapestries that lined the halls, she knew exactly what was depicted in each one. Each place seemed to have a memory. The kitchen was chatting endlessly and aimlessly with Will, the medical room from when she watched over Cassandra with her heart problem, the guest rooms where she and the other court girls used to sneak to for sleepovers and games, the guards barracks and the courtyard where she trained and chatted with Grizz and the guard. And Allie was leaving it all behind. Some part of her thought she should feel more guilty that she was abandoning all she’d ever known, but it wasn’t like she had any other choice.

With a deep sigh Allie pulled herself to a stop, looking out over the lit-up city through an icy window. Out of the corner of the window she could just about make out the party, still going in full swing. She should go back outside and let her friends cheer her up, have one last night of raucous fun before she was dragged down into the dark unknown. She should go and spend time with her wonderful sister on the most important night of Cassandras life. But she couldn’t face it, she felt utterly selfish and weak in admitting it, but everyone down there, all of them, they were happy, they faced no uncertainty in the morning.

So, instead she turned back the way she had came and strode over to the extra storeroom, where they were holding all the spare wine for the wedding, ‘just in case’ Becca had claimed as Allie had watched the servants load up the room. Allie flung open the door and shut herself in the room, not overly concerned about anyone coming in. She was going to sit and feel sorry for herself and no-one could stop her. As she popped the cork on the first bottle she found, her mind descended down into an abyss of darkness and dangerous thoughts that ranged from being murdered in the south, to attending Will and Kelly’s wedding.

When Allie finally decided it was time to call it a night she had cried through one and a half bottles of fairly heavy-duty wine, not including the glasses she’d had earlier in the night, and the world was spinning madly as if she was constantly falling. Allie’s thoughts had crawled back out of the deep doubts and fears, and were now floating lightly, lost in a haze of drunkenness. She wasn’t really aware of herself, nor did she know the way back to her room, but Allie didn’t seem to realise that as she stumbled out of the storeroom and clattered down the hall, knocking a vase off of a small table as she went.

She had no concept of how long she was wandering the halls of the castle, but it was enough time to sober her up very slightly. The only reason she came to a holt was because she walked around the corner and whacked straight into something. At first she had thought it to be a wall, but walls didn’t move, and they certainly didn’t stare at her with raised eyebrows. “What are you doing?” Allie grumbled, her words slow and slurred. “I _was_, going to bed,” Harry said, offering a hand down to her on the floor. Allie took his hand hesitantly staring up at him with suspicious eyes. He was about a head taller than her, she noticed.

“What are you doing?” Harry echoed back, as he gripped her arm, steadying her swaying. The world seemed to dissolve for a second, and it took a little while for Allie to right herself. “Going bed,” Allie struggled with her words, her stomach feeling weirdly queasy. “You’re going in the wrong direction,” Harry snorted. He went to say something more, but was violently pushed aside as Allie bent over, breathing rapidly. He frowned at her for a few seconds before gently laying a hand on her shoulder. “Allie? Can you walk a little bit further?” He asked quietly, earning a very slow nod from Allie.

He lead her slightly further down the corridor and into a large dining room. If she hadn’t been feeling so ill, and wasn’t so drunk, Allie might have questioned why he knew the way, why he was helping her yet again and why he was also heading the wrong way for bed, but such thoughts were fuzzy spots on an ever-retreating horizon. Harry stayed with her while she threw up and watched while she wiped her face and rinsed out her mouth with water. Allie then headed back to the corridor, Harry following cautiously behind her. With a fair bit more of her mind back to normal, she was more aware of where she was and what was happening. She briefly considered stalking off back to her room and leaving Harry to go his own way, but something stopped her. It felt cheap to do such a thing, and he had helped her, more times than she had ever wanted.

Finally, she sighed and tipped her head, inviting him to follow her. A shadow of doubt flickered across his face and he almost seemed to be contemplating running from this, like Allie wanted to do, but in the end he simply swallowed nervously and followed after her. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Allie reached where she had been wanting to go: a small balcony that overlooked the party. It was fairly high up, so there was no-one else about and nobody should be able to see who was on the balcony from the party. The silence continued to stretch as Allie breathed in the cold air of the mountains and Harry looked sadly on at the party below them, broken only by the more distant beats of the band playing music below.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked eventually, leaning on the balcony wall and glancing up at her. Allie nodded, looking down at him, desperately searching for answers she knew she wouldn’t find. “I thought you were big on parties, why aren’t you… you know?” Allie asked, earning a short laugh from her company. “I’m… we’re travelling tomorrow, and it’s best not to travel hungover,” Harry grinned mockingly. Allie paused for a second before groaning loudly and leaning her head back. “Why do you keep helping me?” She asked quietly, as she noted Harry’s gaze remaining trained on her. “I honestly don’t know,” Harry began seriously, but then devolved into the arrogant mocking that Allie was used to, “Maybe you owe me now.”

“Fuck you,” Allie huffed angrily, the haze of confidence and recklessness still present in her system. Had he been the man Allie had once thought him to be, Harry would have been incredibly offended and demanded some sort of punishment for such an impertinent comment. But he wasn’t, so instead he just scoffed lightly and shook his head with a smile. “You know, you’re not what I expected Allie Pressman,” Harry said suddenly, turning away from her as if to hide something in his face. “No? What did you expect?”

“Someone quiet, much less opinionated… and with less of a sharp tongue that’s for sure.”  
“Oh? You were hoping I was one of the lesser court girls, an untroublesome little wife?” Allie frowned, a sharp edge to her tone.  
“No, you misunderstand me, I never said it was a bad thing,” Harry laughed, flicking his eyes about to look at her. With half his face lit up in the fiery light of the wedding below, casting a shimmer into his eyes, Allie really understood why all the court girls fussed over him. There was no denying how handsome he was, even now when his hair was messy, and its curls dangled in his face. She huffed and turned away perturbed by the thoughts that lurked on the edge of her mind.

“You’re not what I expected either,” Allie mumbled, grumpy to admit how much she didn’t hate the southern king. “I will take that as a compliment,” Harry snorted lightly, though his voice wavered in the middle. Allie turned to look at him with a frown, he was shivering and doing a bad job of trying to hide it. Here Allie was, in a short sleeved, thin dress, perfectly fine and Harry was wearing a full suit and was still shuddering uncontrollably. She failed to supress a laugh, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. “What?”  
“You southerners are such lightweights,” Allie giggled, earning a scowl from Harry as he shifted his shoulders. “It’s fucking freezing, there’s ice everywhere,” Harry grumbled, shooting a glare at Allie that only intensified her giggling.

“You wait till you’re in the heat of the south, then we’ll see whose a lightweight,” Harry mumbled, shooting her another petulant glare. Allie rubbed her eyes and slowly reeled in her fit of laughter; she was definitely still drunk. “Have you ever been to the north in high winter?”  
“No… Cassandra says that the roads would be impassable for _our_ wagons,” Harry grumbled sourly.  
“She’s right, the snow falls four foot deep on the city roads, out in the countryside it can get up to seven feet deep and it gets twenty times colder,” Allie explained, with an air of proudness.  
“Jesus Christ, how do you live in that?!”  
“You get used to it. Besides, it can’t be any worse than the cleansing.”  
“The cleansing? What the hell is that?” Harry looked deeply concerned.

“You’ve been coming to the north for five years, and don’t know? The cleansing… it’s like a coming of age ritual, where every eighteen-year-old must climb halfway up Aeschylus mountain in the middle of high winter,” She said, a vague memory of her experience up the mountain flashing to the surface. She’d had it easy, high winter had been especially mild that year, and the path was easy to traverse. “Really? Why?” Harry said, almost disgustedly.  
“Back when the war first began, Aeschylus was advisor to the king, and they believed we were going to lose terribly. So, Aeschylus went up the mountain to look over his home one last time, and while he was up there he had a revelation, that cleared his mind of the tragedies and losses he had endured. After that… I guess people just began to do the same.”

Harry shook his head in disbelief as Allie pointed to a sharp and towering peak of a mountain off to the left of the castle, “You people are crazy. Absolutely fucking crazy,” Allie laughed, and with little inhibitions, and fiery confidence in her veins, she told him of when she went up the mountain. In turn Harry talked of some southern traditions before hurriedly suggesting they go inside.

When it finally came time for them to part ways, at a crossroads in the hallway, Allie lingered briefly, her eyes scanning the puzzle of a man before her. “Thankyou Harry, for everything… I really mean it,” Allie said slowly, hoping to convey her sincerity in her expression.  
“No problem,” Harry responded quietly, a strange look on his face that drunken Allie had no hope of decoding, “Good night, Allie” It was strange to hear him say her name, and she was ashamed of how nice it sounded in his voice. He turned and walked away from her, and Allie couldn’t help but watch him go, she felt as if all the pieces of the picture were there, she just had no idea of how to put them together. With a quiet sigh she turned and headed back to her own room, no where near ready to face the morning.

Cassandra was exhausted when she finally retired to be alone in her room, having left Gordie in charge of cleaning up and sorting out any issues. Her wedding had been incredible, despite the small missteps and issues, it was definitely one of the best days of her life. A life that Cassandra feared would not go on for much longer. There were plans swirling in the high court, and she had put them off on the excuse of wedding preparations and spending time with Allie, knowing her sister would soon be gone, even before the fated meeting with Pfeiffer. She would have to start now, there was no rest for a Queen, not even on her wedding night.

She started with the thing she would regret not doing the most, writing letters, to each of the people she cared deeply about. Starting with Allie. Her dear sister, who she kept in the dark, protected from the burning truths of the light. Every time she saw her sister Cassandra felt a pang of guilt for not opening up and telling Allie everything she knew, like she had done with Gordie. Her letter would have to do.

_Dear Allie,_

_If you are reading this then I am surely dead. There are many things I wish I had told you and many things I wish I had shown you, and all I can say is that I am sorry. If you are angry that I lied or kept things from you, that’s understandable, but just know that I did it to protect you. Even in my desperate attempts to shield you from such danger, it found you anyway, and if you are reading this more is to come, and you are to be Queen._

_You will be a good Queen; of that I am sure and always have been. But there are many threats and horrible pieces of knowledge that come with the job, and so once more, Allie, I am sorry. I love you, so much, and I deeply regret how things have turned out. I never wanted for you to have to marry Harry, and I should have told you when I thought it was coming, but I was selfish. _

_Just remember that I love you, and you are certainly stronger than I am and remember to seek help in those you trust deeply,_

_Love, Cass. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry on the slow update, but the next few chapters should all be done fairly quickly!


	6. Southern Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the wedding and the departures.

The morning after the wedding came with too many partings for Grizz’s liking. He woke up to a dull aching headache that told him he’d drank a little too much the night before, and his memories were vaguely dulled, he had no idea how he’d managed to get himself back into his own bed, if this even was his own. There was, however, one memory that Grizz didn’t think any amount of alcohol or drugging could wipe from his mind. Although for once, it was definitely one that he wanted to keep.

Grizz had been intending to see Sam off at the gate, not only because he desperately wanted to see the other man again, but because it was still technically his job to do so. Unfortunately when he finally pulled himself out of bed and out into the daylight, he found it was already midday and most of the wagons had long pulled out of the courtyard, heading for long distant homes. It was always easier to set off in the early morning and get some way out of the city before the morning rush of people on their way to work. (Although he noted that King Harry’s entourage was still parked up, raring to go). Even still, Grizz was wounded that Sam hadn’t said goodbye, or asked for one of the other guard to wake him up. All he could do was hope that asking and poking around might come across as suspicious, and people might start to talk. Yeah, that had to be it.

It had to.

Pushing himself on, Grizz slinked off to find the Queen for his next assignment. With the chaos of the wedding and preparations everyone in the castle had been swept off their feet. Now, Grizz could see, they all looked a little empty. As he made his way up to the throne room, he made sure to check in with the servants and the waiting staff. Having Campbell stay over was always a threat for them, but they all reassured him that Campbell had been too distracted with his new girlfriend Elle to bother them. They all seemed to think that Elle had somehow humbled or reigned in Campbell’s ‘boisterousness’. Grizz didn’t think so. There was something about the way Campbell acted that had always unsettled him, and his senses were going haywire in regard to the southern lady Elle.

Considering that she was practically sold to the crazed prince, Grizz suspected that she hadn’t reigned him in at all, he was probably just busy playing with his new toy before he would toss it aside, just as he had with his various pet animals. The waiting staff at Campbell and Sam’s manor told terrifying tales of cries in the night and creatures disappearing a few weeks after either brother bringing them home. It made Grizz wonder what life was like for Sam, it surely wasn’t good. Nothing about Campbell was any good.

As Grizz rounded the corner on his familiar route to the throne room, the devil himself appeared. Grizz was one to believe in signs, and it was always Campbell that arrived when he was thinking about what a problem he could be. Grizz stopped short, making care to show proper courtesy to the prince, lest he decide to throw a fit and drag Grizz into the throne room before them and make Cassandra’s day one of grievances.

“Ah! I know you… you’re Grizz,” Campbell smiled, in a way that told Grizz whatever was about to come wasn’t going to be good, “You’re friends with my pathetic little brother, aren’t you?”  
“I guess,” Grizz replied, obviously apprehensively.  
“Then you must have heard the great news,” Campbell grinned, baring his teeth. Grizz felt like a mouse staring up into the gaping jaws of a great bear, it’s hot breath the shiver running down his spine. “No?” Grizz said eventually, he was going to regret this, he already knew.  
“My brother is to be wed, to Lady Becca no less! I can’t believe you haven’t heard,” Campbell laughed, and it sounded mocking above all else, as if he knew the feelings Grizz harboured. Such words were like a shot to the heart for Grizz. Thoughts were firing through his head like the flashes of swords striking swords, long pushed away memories that had no place returning. He had to be lying, right? Or had Grizz imagined what had happened last night. Was he a drunken fool?

“That’s great news,” Grizz lied, barely projecting the happiness into his voice. He could see immediately that Campbell didn’t buy it for a single second. “Then I should think you would be happier,” Campbell sneered and there was a danger in his eyes that was setting off alarms in Grizz’s head, no matter how dulled with confusion and hurt his mind was, he would be an even bigger fool to ignore the danger Campbell posed. “Ah, just a little hungover, sir,” Grizz said, propriety returning in a burst, “Was a big occasion, sir.” Campbell’s eyes sparkled with malice, like that of a great wolf flicking at a spider it has cornered. Less than prey. Toys to play with however he may see fit. Campbell Elliot was something inhumane, that was for sure.

“I see,” Campbell smiled, the perfect picture of friendly politeness, if it wasn’t for the daring and dangerous eyes that bore straight through Grizz, “What are you doing here then, Grizz?”  
“Going to see Cassandra, pick up the next jobs, sir,” Grizz responded, as lightly as he possibly could.  
“I see, well don’t let me get in the way,” Campbell grinned, baring his teeth at Grizz. He felt like he was in some twisted zoo where the animals cage you up in words and phrases. He was chained by Campbell, by Cassandra and even by Sam. They surrounded him, and while most of the time it was great, to have so many who care for you, at this point it felt like they were pressing in and suffocating Grizz.

Sam was going to marry Lady Becca… so why hadn’t he said anything last night, why had he led Grizz on like that. It was cruel. It felt like something Campbell would do. But Sam was nothing like Campbell. Nothing. Grizz nodded to the sadistic prince and ducked into the throne room, failing to conceal the pained look on his face for a far too many seconds. Once he had regained some semblance of control, painting on an air of normalness, he approached Cassandra, who was inquisitively staring at him. “Are you okay Grizz?” Cassandra asked concernedly.  
“Fine, your highness, just… troubles with a lover I suppose,” Grizz managed, eyes never meeting the queens. She simply nodded, as if in understanding and assigned him an easy task for the next few weeks. Grizz was thankful to Cassandra, she was a good queen and a kind woman. Which was why she gave Clark the week off once Campbell had left, telling Grizz to make sure he spent it going after that girl from the south, Gwen.

Grizz played along, entertaining those around him, and just trudging through the day, no explanation available for the things he was feeling and the many thoughts running through his head. It just, was so hard to comprehend that he’d had such an action packed few weeks, only for it to fall absolutely flat in the space of a few minutes. The floor was ripped from under him in a second and he was free falling. He couldn’t even _ask_ Sam; he was long gone by the time Grizz had woken up. Either too coward or uncaring to face him, and now Grizz was left without any answers.

Except Sam had thought of that. On returning to his barracks he found a letter left on the side of his bed. Luke told him Lady Becca had left it before leaving for her own carriages, set to join Sam at his castle. Grizz went to one of the secluded gardens amongst the castles many towering stone towers to read the letter. The breeze was cool, and the paper fluttered twitchingly in the wind.

_Dear Grizz,  
I am sorry to leave you with no farewell, it guiles me so, even now before I have left. Yet I fear there is no other choice. When you hear the news, if you have not already, I hope you do not think too little of me. Know, that while I cannot say now my reasons, that they do exist and one day I hope to share them with you, soon. Things in this nation are complicated and I don’t doubt that this country comes first for you, it’s clear in your selfless nature. I will not ask that to change, ever. All I ask is that you stay true to yourself Grizz, as I have not.  
Yours,  
Sam._

Alone with no-one but the birds to judge, Grizz finally let himself cry. It was surely a trying day and with the loss of so many he held dear, there was no other choice. He wondered how long his heart could bear this see-sawing life. Sam, at least, had proved that Grizz wasn’t insane. And as vague as the letter appeared, Grizz knew that Sam had put as much meaning as possible into the words he wrote. There could be no direct talk, not when someone might find the letter, not when it risked being exposed. The first parts were clear enough to Grizz, as was the very end. It spoke of reluctance and that… that Sam did like Grizz, and yet there was something that was pushing him into this. Was it Campbell? Some more ploys by the High Court? But what would they want with Sam and Becca?

There was one part that Grizz did not understand, the part about his country coming first. He didn’t quite know what to make of it. Was there some threat pressing down? Was that why this was all happening? Grizz knew he wouldn’t have the answer for some time.

Helena was stuck. Something she hadn’t experienced in a while. Last night, or more like this morning, it must have been around three in the morning, Helena had gone out to see if the party was finally over and she could reclaim the church pews. She hadn’t been able to sleep since Luke was out watching over everything, and the house was all out of firewood, leaving her a little too cold to ever succumb to the land of dreams. It was much colder outside still, and she’d been forced to wrap up warm. Heading to the church she had been ran into. Literally.

The person in question had promptly fallen to the floor and tried to crawl away, whimpering out apologies and pleas for Helena not to hurt them. She had been shocked, especially more so, when she realised who it was, and what they were wearing. Elle, the little lady that Campbell had forced off of her father’s hands. She was only in a thin dress and Helena thought it was an absolute wonder she hadn’t gotten frostbite or keeled over from the chill of the night. The poor girl was sobbing, her whole body shaking, with so much violence, Helena briefly thought she was having a fit. “Hey,” Helena had said softly, dropping down to Elle’s level, “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Elle had frozen then, finally realising that it wasn’t the person she thought it was in front of her. Helena hadn’t hesitated before shrugging her oversized coat off and handing it to Elle, while she would feel the biting cold, there was no doubt she was better suited to deal with it than Elle. The southerners were notoriously bad with the cold. It was only as Elle cautiously accepted her coat did she the clear scars and bruises littering Elle’s body. Helena didn’t say anything more, guiding Elle into the church and through to the back where there was just enough logs for Helena to heave into the fire. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Helena asked carefully, leaning forwards to lay her hands out for Elle to see.

The girl seemed suspicious, and from the state of her, Helena couldn’t blame her. In the back of her mind, she was perfectly aware of who had done this to her, and it disgusted her. That man was vile, absolutely disgusting, and Helena knew she wasn’t supposed to hate, but is was so hard when the they do such things and act in such a wicked manner. Campbell Elliot might as well be the devil for Helena. Elle doesn’t say anything, and Helena let the silence stretch out before speaking up again. “Do you want a drink? Or something hot to eat?” Helena asked, and that, at least got a response out of Elle, who nodded mutely.

Once Helena had gathered up some hot water and a few rolls of bread that she was going to use to represent the last supper, she settled down opposite Elle. The girl ate hungrily, ripping into the food and sipping quietly on the drink. It made Helena’s heart ache all the more. “Elle, is there anything I can do?” Helena asked and she could see the conflict in the girls eyes, “I won’t tell him anything.”  
“What says it’s him?” Elle asked bitterly and there’s a tiredness to her voice that hurts Helena.  
“Is it not?” Helena asked softly, trying to convey an understanding into her voice. Elle looked almost surprised before looking down, “No, it is.”

“So, what can I do?” Helena pressed again.  
“You’ve done enough,” Elle sighed, a look of resignation crossing her face, “Thank you.”  
“I can’t let you go back to him,” Helena frowned, standing up as Elle did the same, shrugging the coat off of her shoulders. “I have to,” Elle said and there was a strength to her voice that shocked Helena, she hadn’t thought the girl to be capable of it. “You don’t…” Helena tried, but the look in Elle’s eyes spoke volumes that words couldn’t compare to. “If you shelter me, he will find you, and he will… he’ll… my family, Helena,” Elle continued a conviction stronger that Helena had seen many hold shining in her face. Helena could only watch as Elle turned and rushed from the room, sparing a brief glance back to her. She was stumped as to what to do. She knew what she wanted to do, but that would only endanger Elle and her family more.

Which was how she came to the conclusion that she had to tell Cassandra. The Queen wouldn’t stand for this, especially not with it happening to a southern noble, a fact that might spark war, something that, now, would endanger Allie. Except, when she got to the throne room, none other than Campbell was lounging over one of the tables, he looked at her as she entered like he’s been expecting her to come. Cassandra noted her arrival and stood up, glancing down to Campbell with disdain covering disgust and looked to Helena. “What can I do for you?” Cassandra asked sweetly, her glare turning gentle as she looked at Helena. “Uh… it’s not so important,” Helena said, eyes lingering on Campbell as she turned to Cassandra, suddenly ashamed at having burst into the room with such ferocity.

“No, please, don’t mind me,” Campbell said with a faux languidness. Helena knew he wasn’t relaxed despite his position. The tenseness in his muscles and the way his eyes swivelled around the room told her so. “Oh, well, one of the church benches was broken yesterday,” Helena said, and it wasn’t a lie, but such an entrance didn’t warrant such a petty issue, “I just wanted to know if we could borrow some chairs from the castle for later today.”  
“Of course,” Cassandra frowned, clearly aware that this wasn’t Helena’s original issue. Though an understanding crept into her eyes as she noted the way Helena’s gaze lingered on Campbell again. The creature choosing to watch a window facing away from everyone else in the room. There was no hope now, by the time Campbell had left he would be taking Elle back to their secluded castle somewhere near the border to the south. It was at that castle that Campbell and Sam’s parents held their final stand some weeks before the end of the war. They were killed shortly before Allie and Cassandra’s parents. A sorry tragedy.

If Campbell got Elle back into the castle, there was almost nothing Helena or Cassandra or anyone could do about it. There was no demanding the girl back, Campbell would never give in and Elle’s family would only be put in danger. Cassandra couldn’t forcibly take Elle, that would cause anarchy, and jeopardise one of the few ties of trade with the South they had. Helena was a woman of the church, and as such it was her duty to protect the peace, and hence the lives of the innocent. She knew as well as any of the royals and the guard that their country could not sustain another war, and neither could the South. It would be the end of both the North and South. So, in terms of weighing up the options, there was no way to help Elle from outside the castle.

So, she retired away from the throne room, fuming at her uselessness. “Sorry to intrude your highnesses,” Helena bid them a tense farewell and returned back to the church. All she could do now was pray. God had a plan for all of them, and she just hoped that his plan for Elle involved her safety. She prayed for her country, for Allie, leaving the safety of the castle walls, for Elle, trapped within a prison of a home and for Cassandra and her happiness in this marriage. What else could she do? She was just the woman who ran the castle’s church. There was no power in that, as much as she would call herself friendly with Cassandra, and her husband ran the royal guard, she herself held about as much power in the comings and goings of things as the servants who wandered the castle halls. Privy to secrets the royals and nobles wouldn’t tell others of their rank, but willing to talk with servants around, considering them too insignificant to the greater scheme of things.

It was galling to think, how much time Helena had put into her work here, that all of it may just come to nothing. But those thoughts were weak spots in her faith, and she had to iron them out. She was following God’s plan for her, and that was all she could do, in the end. However frustrating and dark times got, she had to believe that things would go as intended, she had to. Or what had she been doing with her life?

Allie was hungover, as expected really, she hadn’t considered the consequences of her actions when she drank her sorrows away the night before. Before it wouldn’t have mattered, she wasn’t really responsible for anything. She hadn’t even considered the consequences that her being in the South could have. If she stepped wrong, they could go back to war, or could they? If a war started again, what was to become of her? Harry, in the little time she had spent with him, was okay. Okay, as in he didn’t seem like he wanted to have her killed for saying something wrong or against him. But what was to say about the other people in his country? She doubted they were much like him. As much as she appreciated the company of people like Gwen and Kelly, they didn’t hold so much power over the country. That was Harry and his small-scale government. None of whom she’d ever even spoken to.

Maybe it was the hangover that was putting her nerves so high, mixed with the fact that she was to leave home for, possibly forever, that day, but Allie was panicking… a lot. Bean did her best to comfort Allie, without Becca who had left with her cousin Sam, in their shock of an engagement. Allie still didn’t quite know what to make of it. Becca and Sam had been best friends as long as she could remember, but she hadn’t thought they’d liked each other in that way, but she supposed she’d been wrong. Some part of Allie wondered if it was because Becca didn’t want to have to accompany Allie down to the South, and as much as she couldn’t blame the other girl in the slightest, it meant there was one less person she knew going alongside her.

Bean had told her that the people of the South would be aware of her arrival before she got there and that she wasn’t to worry, because if anything was to happen to her Cassandra would restart the war. That didn’t really make Allie feel any better, but she put on a smile and vanished into the bathroom where washed her face with the coldest water she could get and stared at her reflection in the mirror for a lot longer than she probably should have. After that, she gathered up her stuff and had the servants take it down to Harry’s carriages. Still, she didn’t leave her quarters. Bean told her they really should have left a fair while ago, but Allie had someone on her mind.

She hadn’t gone to see Will since she saw him and Kelly in the gardens, unable to face him with that churning in her gut, she wondered if he even missed her. Or was this all because he just wanted to get a leg in with the royalty? Was she nothing to him in the end, just a shoe in for more power? He certainly hadn’t sought her out. It left her wondering if any of it was real, which made her want to cry again. But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t be so weak anymore. She had been relying on Cassandra to cover for her, to save her if anything went wrong. But Cassandra wouldn’t be there anymore. She was on her own. However wrong she may have been about Harry’s character, she certainly didn’t trust him, and she didn’t even particularly like him all that much.

Finally, hours into the day, way past the time she was supposed to be leaving by, she had managed to sort herself out, wondering why no-one had called for her yet, or demanded she leave. Allie made her way down to the throne room, sending Bean to go and say her goodbyes to Gordie and her other close friends. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise, Allie couldn’t just leave, however sad goodbyes may be. Cassandra was sat waiting in the throne room, alone for once, though Allie thought she heard Campbell leaving just before she arrive herself.

“Allie,” Cassandra sighed, sweeping up from where she was sat atop her throne. Her delicate crown was placed atop her head and she wore an ornate dress that signified the previous day’s events in it’s intricate white patterns and golden gems. Her sister pulled her in closely and gripped her in a tight hug that had Allie almost struggling to breathe. Allie focused on her breathing and hugged Cassandra back. “I’m going to miss you, Cass,” Allie breathed, hoping to convey the loss and love she was feeling for her sister. “I’ll miss you too Allie, so much,” Cassandra sighed pulling away a little to look over Allie with teary eyes, “You have to stay strong, and stay safe. Know that we’ll always be here for you, if something happens…” Allie could see the sincerity in her eyes and nodded gently.

“I love you sis,” Allie said finally, grabbing her sister for one last and final hug. It was brief and Cassandra smiled softly at her as she pulled away. Allie moved to leave the throne room as Cassandra called after her, “Promise you’ll write!” With that, Allie was gone, and she didn’t know the next time she would ever see her sister. At her wedding? To Harry, her wedding to Harry. She didn’t really want to marry Harry, or anyone at that point in time, but things were chosen for her. ‘All god’s plan’ that’s what Helena would say anyway. Allie wasn’t sure if she bought into that so much these days. But Cassandra was right, she had to be strong. She had to get through this, and maybe, maybe she could find something good in the South, something comfortable.

She arrived down in the courtyard where the carriages were waiting for her. Bean dashed over, chattering about the plans for the day and who would be doing what on the journey. Allie had to admit she glossed over most of what Bean was saying, though she did pick up on a few parts. One being that she really just had to follow whoever was asking for her, and two that the first day of the journey she would be in her own carriage, because Harry would be talking with one of his confidants, who had arrived the night before from the inner city, to talk over the recent event, and that he would then be riding on ahead to bring news to the Southern castle. Allie was just fine with that. It left her with time to think things over.

As she hopped up into the carriage she lamented her selfishness in refusing to go and say goodbye to Will, but a large part of her still couldn’t even face him. It was childish she knew, and she was being gullible and naïve, but it was a big step in realising that. She would change, because she had to, it was a cruel world and she was stepping beyond the protective walls her sister had built around her. The palace staff, the guard and her sister and Gordie materialised around the courtyard as they began to set off. Allie leaned out of the window waving enthusiastically, forcing herself not to cry. She thought she spotted Will’s face in the crowd, but she couldn’t be sure. Although there was only one thing about him she was sure of, and that was his lack of feelings towards her, in the way she wanted anyway.

She watched as the city passed by her windows, withdrawing back into the carriage. It was only a few hours before she passed by the edge of the city, and out into what might as well be the unknown. Allie used the hours to calm herself, she was alone in this carriage, bar the footman just through the window at the front. She thought methodically, filing anything to do with Will away, it was of no use to her anymore. She thought on Cassandra and the courts of her home and how much she regretted the little attention she had paid in those meetings. She had the basic gist of how to act and be, but there was no going back now, she would just have to learn on the fly. Not the best plan she’d ever had, but Allie wasn’t really known for ever planning anything.

She thought about her future too, she hadn’t done that in too far long, already having her life stretching out ahead of her. Now things seemed so unsure, but she wouldn’t say that was terrible. Allie wondered what the people of South New Ham were like and the scenery and the courts and the palaces, and whether or not this made her a queen. Because she thought it might, which… wasn’t exactly a great thing. They would expect heirs, wouldn’t they? Allie didn’t really like thinking about that, so she sent it back into the dark hole of thoughts it escaped out of.

Her thoughts managed to occupy her through many hours of the journey, well into the evening, until she turned to watching the dark fields and towns pass by, slowly rumbling on and on. Trees and forests rolled in and out of her vision, people on horses and carriages and on foot or in towns passed by her gaze. All of them watching, all of them she doubted she had seen before or would see again. It always brought her back to the knowledge that she hadn’t seen much of the world at all, and that it was so vastly bigger than her narrow experience. She was having her eyes opened to sights she’d never seen before, towns and villages with muddy dirt roads and farms upon farms and snow, so much shimmering white that it began to get monotonous.

Allie had absolutely no idea where they were when the carriage pulled to a shaky stop and the door was pulled aside. She stepped out to see a fairly large town, bathed in the dark nights sky with stars and the moon shining down on the layer of snow that coated the ground. She just followed along as the footman who had been driving her carriage offered her hand and led her down to a large and warm looking wooden building. Allie had been into the city enough to know that it was an inn and that it was a fairly fancy and expensive looking one. She followed alongside Bean as they were led inside to find Harry and a small group of others gathered around what Allie assumed was the check-in desk. She settled down beside Bean on a sofa off to the left, some other people, who she had to guess were just rich travellers, dotted about. On the other side of the check-in desk she could see a stairway leading up to the rooms, and a dining room beyond that.

It didn’t take long for most things to be sorted out and the servants and guardsmen scurried around about her, fixing up the rooms or whatever it was they were doing. Allie didn’t really know; she was content to chat aimlessly with Bean about court gossip and Gordie’s latest plan for some technical invention. Bean was smart, very smart, much more so than what was considered normal for a woman. Maybe that was why she hadn’t yet found a man, although Allie hadn’t either, not really. Though Allie had heard a rumour that Jason, one of the guard, was interested in her. Allie couldn’t be sure if that was true or not. Especially not now she’d brought Bean away from all that, out into another country. She was struck by a sudden wave of guilt. But as quickly as it came it trickled away again as Bean talked animatedly about learning new things away from their home country.

Eventually Bean excused herself for bed, talking of weariness and a long few days ahead, but not before leaving Allie with a book that she really must read on the journey the next day. Allie accepted, if to have something to distract or excuse herself with, she’d have to sit with Harry the next day, and she wasn’t really sure what to think of that. They hadn’t really spoke much with Allie in her right mind, or even a good state really. She supposed it would be good to get to know him, they were to be married after all.

Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Harry appeared at the bottom of the stairs and wandered over to her, flopping down onto the chair next to the sofa she was sitting on with about as little grace as possible. He didn’t say anything to start the conversation, leaning his head back and laying his arm over his face, and Allie wasn’t about to break the silence. So, she slipped her shoes off and pulled her legs up onto the sofa, curling them around beside her and picking up the book Bean had left. She browsed the contents page, noting the sections she thought she would most enjoy. It was a book on the happenings of the Southern court in the past fifty odd years. She was grateful to Bean for anticipating her inadequacy, if a little ruffled by the blatant knowledge that she was wholly unprepared.

It was a little while later that Harry spoke, and Allie, who had forgotten he was there all but jumped out of her skin. “Kelly won’t be joining us on this journey,” He said and Allie eyes him suspiciously.  
“Oh, no?” She said a few seconds later after gathering herself back together.  
“Mhm, she’s going on a vacation,” Harry said and moved his arm slightly so he could see her. It was hard to keep her face impassive. What was he implying by telling her this? “Staying back in the city for two more weeks,” Harry continued, and Allie frowned to him. Why was Kelly staying in the city? There was really only one reason Allie could land on. “Okay,” Allie said and from the way Harry’s lips twitched she didn’t do a good job of keeping neutral. But Harry didn’t know that would affect her, but he did, he did know.

“You know I heard a rumour that one of the servants at the castle was taking a few weeks off too,” Harry said and there was an underlying mocking to his voice that made Allie want to punch him. “What are you implying with that?” Allie asked tersely, still trying, but failing, to keep her voice level.  
“I think we both know what I’m implying, Pressman,” Harry said with a bitter edge.  
“I don’t think that I do,” She replied, her voice strained, and her jaw clenched.  
“If I have to say it, I’m talking about Kelly and her relationship with that servant boy of yours,” Harry huffed sardonically. “I-I don’t…” Allie faltered but gave in with an angry hiss, “He’s not ‘my’ servant boy.”  
“Oh?” Harry said, shifting until he was more upright and looking at her, “Well I just thought you should know.” Allie thought he was going to get up and leave, but he didn’t, just leant back into his chair.

“How did you… know all this?” Allie tried after a time of awkward silence.  
“Guessing really,” He said with a shrug, “Had an idea after that time I saw you in the gardens.”  
“You knew what was happening?” Allie spluttered, conflicting feelings of anger and a strange thankfulness swirling within her. Because, at least now, she knew what Will was feeling. “Not really,” He said, “But I knew where Kelly and that servant boy were and what they were doing.”  
“You still like Kelly,” Allie said after a beat, recalling the blatant bitterness in his voice and the look on his face back then. Harry grunted in a manner that just confirmed Allie’s suspicions. A silence ensued as Harry worked his jaw and Allie settled back down again, thinking he wasn’t going to talk about this.

“I… no, not like I used to,” He said, “But a little bit still, I s’pose.” Allie gave him a look of surprise and he seemed to coil back into an air of arrogance, one she hadn’t even noticed had been missing throughout their entire conversation. “No point lying to you,” He grumbled defensively, “To be wed and all that shit.” Allie laughed bitterly for a second, finding an incredibly odd sense of peace in the moment. “Yeah,” She sighed sadly. Allie liked Harry without the arrogance, much more than with. He put a lot of it on, she could see it, a little bit of Harry showing through. It wasn’t enough to judge whether she would like it or not, but it was something, a step somewhere. Even if Allie didn’t really know where.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I know I sort of left this story for a long time, but I'm going to try and update much more regularly now.


	7. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

It took the better part of a week and a half to reach Allie’s new home, the Southern capital. Allie had spent a lot of time marvelling at the scenery through the window. Gradually, as they travelled further and further south, things got warmer and warmer, with the snow disappearing three days into the journey, and the forests getting noticeably greener and warmer. Allie quite liked the heat through most of the journey, but it could get a little stifling sometimes. The first time she saw the ocean was something, they pulled around a corner somewhere near the border between her country and the South, and there it had been in all it’s shimmering and shining beauty.

After that, she’d been seeing it every day, passing by like some great expanse of mystery. Even though it looked almost the same every day, it was still mesmerising to Allie, moving constantly a million creatures living just beneath the surface. It was getting bluer and bluer as they moved further and further south. Harry made a fair few jabs at her lack of travel, but still made a point of pointing out things when they passed them. Allie found it was pleasant enough sharing a cabin with Harry, they didn’t talk that much really, both of them reading or looking out of the window. But Harry did make sure to tell her anything he felt she needed to know on the people of his court on the day before her arrival.

Pulling into the capital city of the south was for Allie, unlike anything she’d ever felt or seen before. Sure, she’d seen the white houses and the reddish rooves of the towns they’d passed and the biggest town they’d stayed in had been very extravagant and elegant, but the city was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It must have been miles bigger than her home city, the whitish beige walls spoke of different rock types, and the winding streets with elaborate churches and stunning galleries were beyond anything Allie had ever seen. Her first thought was that it was rather wasteful, or at least that’s what her sister would say, had, said about the place. But Allie thought it was beautiful. The stain glass windows in the main church that stood proudly in the middle of the city sent sparkling multi-colour shadows over the roads around it.

Though, all of it was something otherworldly to Allie, the idea that Harry’s castle was somewhere she was going to be living was strange and unthinkable. It was probably much bigger than Allie’s own home, but made of much paler rock, and towering nowhere near as high, it didn’t look so imposing, the space made up from the way it spread out over the land, surrounded on all sides by the city it was right in the centre of everything. Curved around half of it’s circular walls was a large and wide river, one that ran to the sea at the edge of the city. Tens of hundreds of little and large boats floated up and down the stretch of river, most pulling up to dock on a huge market that resided on the river opposite the castle. It was a port city, something Allie had known but never visualised before.

Allie had been welcomed into the palace by the ladies of the court and the servants almost immediately. Some of the ladies she recognised, like a woman called Lexie and one called Olivia, they dragged her through on a tour giggling and laughing loudly. Allie enjoyed much of it, and they all seemed nice, except maybe for one of the comments one of them made, something about her being envied, since she was ‘marrying Harry and all’ made her a little uncomfortable. The only other major issue she had, was that she was sweating heavily, it was about two or three in the afternoon when she arrived, and wearing the clothes she’d brought from home didn’t really seem to be working out for her, they were designed to keep you warm, and she did not need any more warmth here.

But she didn’t know if she was quite comfortable to wear what the other court girls were wearing. Their clothes were very airy, and some of them even wore short skirts and really quite revealing shirts, Allie didn’t quite know what to make of it all, it wasn’t something you would wear back home. The only comfort she had was that she doubted Bean was feeling any better about all this than her. So, when she finally got back around to seeing Bean, after having been dragged through meeting all the other court members available and the head servants at the castle, they began to talk of clothing. Though their talk was short lived as they had to attend a great feast to celebrate Allie’s arrival. It was the first time Allie had sat beside the head of the table… when it was Harry at the head instead of Cassandra. As much as she’d like to say she wasn’t awkward in talking to those around her, she knew she’d be lying. Not that the stifled snorts from Harry helped in any way, the man was really getting on her nerves that night, swanning and parading for his friends around the table, and subtly mocking her and others whenever he could.

So, when the next day rolled around and she was to go and buy new clothes, she jumped on the opportunity. Though it had not been remotely what she was expecting. She had thought she was going to go to some castle fitting room and that they would have dresses picked out for her to try, like back home. But, no. No, she was to go out and explore the higher-end markets, one or two guards accompanying her, Bean and a court girl called Madison who was going to help them with more southern clothes choices. Allie had never been so far from home. Both in terms of distance and their culture. You would have thought, or at least she did, that the culture and customs in the South would be very similar to the North. But she was wildly wrong, there was much more of a mix between the upper and lower classes, with nobles browsing the tightly packed markets and lower end shops and the lower classes exploring the pricey markets. Madison said it was because it was a nice place to spend time, and that both of them benefitted from the interaction. She went on to explain that Harry’s father had been a highly loved king, who strove to close the divide between the higher and lower class and holding wildly colourful and busy festivals throughout the whole city.

The nobles got a better sense of lower-class life, allowing them to easily tell if there were stirrings of unrest, and what was on the market, and what was in high demand. While the poorer citizens got a goal, or a dream from looking and imagining living such fancy lives, and there was always the hope of good work in the high paying, high end areas. It sometimes might cause a bit of unrest or unhappiness, but overall it seemed to work just fine. Not that the risk of crime and attack wasn’t high, but it wasn’t high to the point that they really seemed to worry about it all that much. Or at least that was what they told Allie.

Allie found herself picking out a fair few outfits, though she and her company were pretty swarmed by locals and visitors, everyone wanted to see a bit of their to-be queen. It was very overwhelming, and Allie didn’t stay out for nearly as long as she had planned on, thinking that she might not get the chance to go out again. Though when she asked Bean about it, the other lady said that she was perfectly free to go out whenever she wanted, provided she kept a few guards with her. Though Cassandra had never explicitly told her she couldn’t leave the castle, Allie had sort of taken things to mean that.

She spent the next few days reading up on the local courts and getting the girls she liked and Bean to coach her through how things were, to the point where, a week into her new life in the South, she was feeling pretty confident she knew a lot of the customs and how to handle herself should she ever have to go into the courts. She still didn’t even know if she would have a job here, at least with Cassandra she had said Allie was the ‘second in command’ and Allie had a purpose with that. She was almost aimless here, with nothing to do but the choice of everything. Maybe she should take up sewing or something. But Allie had tried that before, she hadn’t been great, hadn’t ended well. Allie wasn’t bored, she’d spent enough time wandering the halls of home to know how to occupy herself. She explored the castle ten times over and memorised the way around, and she’d even talked to nearly all of the people who milled about the castle.

Going out into the markets and about the city was an option, but she didn’t like being swarmed by so many people and was worried about one of them reaching for her… or stabbing her or something. It was probably irrational, she had lots of guard and protection, but she didn’t like being pressed in with so many people. She didn’t know how she would fare if she had to step up and say things in front of such crowds, as a queen.

In the end, a week after she arrived, Allie found herself up on one of the castles flat rooves, she liked flat rooves, no snow to weigh them down, it was nice. She could see the whole city from her spot, from the sea to the plains on the other side and all the people milling around and going about their lives all over the city. It was beautiful and comforting, that so many people existed, getting by, probably never even thinking of her. It was all peaceful, until she was interrupted by a voice cutting into the silence of the wind. “Thought I might find you up here,” She found she easily recognised Harry’s voice, it was familiar now. She turned to face him, her hair blowing away from her face, and caught an odd look flicker over his eyes before it passed again. “Yeah? Why’s that?” Allie laughed, in good spirits from the view and the refreshing cool breeze that was blowing in over the sea. Lexie had told her that was the coldest things were going to get. “Always seem to find you up high,” He snorted coming to stand near her, “We’re going out.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, “We are?”  
“Yeah, I think you ought to visit the beach, can’t live here without having been,” He told her with a grin that said he was planning something. “Really,” Allie said, eyebrows still raised, “Okay then.” He smirked cockily and led her down through to a small open top carriage that they climbed into. It only took about half an hour of travel, and she was glad for the clear schedule of her day, though she suspected Harry knew she had nothing to do.

The beach was beautiful, golden sand and the sea rushing in and withdrawing with a rhythmic beat. She tried to step out onto the sand in her heels and they all sunk in, causing her to trip over her own feet, nearly falling fully to the floor with a cry of alarm. As she steadied herself she looked to see Harry laughing his ass off at her, a real gentleman. She glared grumpily at him and took her heels off, rather liking the way the sand felt on her feet. Harry took his own shoes off and was laughing to one of the guards with them smiling brightly. It wasn’t like the arrogant smiles Allie was used to, he actually looked slightly genuinely happy for once.

With absolutely no caution he wandered down to the sea, stepping in once he’d rolled his trousers up and turned to look at her with expectant eyes. She looked after him apprehensively for a few seconds before she lifted her skirt up and wandered down into the water. It was pleasantly warm, lapping and rushing around her legs, she laughed out loud, swilling her feet around as she waded a little further in to where Harry was stood looking out at the horizon. There was a fair few others on the beach, laying down on long stretches of fabric or also playing in the sea, children trailing after them. “What’s that way?” She asked, trying to hold her dress in an appropriate position where it was still acceptably covering her. “Ocean,” He drawled, and she hit him lightly with her elbow, her hands both full holding her dress away from the water. “I can see that,” She drawled back and frowned at him, “What is beyond the ocean?”  
“From here? Not sure, would be around the border,” He said noncommittally and stepped away from her a devilish look passing over his face.

Without even any hesitation he bent down and sent a splash of water careening towards her. With a yelp of distress she dived backwards, but not fast enough to avoid the water he sent in her direction and it hit her square in the face. “Twat!” Allie cried at him but was not doing much to conceal her laughter as she kicked up some water back at him childishly. By the time they made it back up to the shore they were both half-drenched and Allie was of half a mind to complain, but she had acted just as childishly. She could almost hear Cassandra’s chastising from all the way up North.

“Do you think you’re ready to come to the council on Monday?” Harry asked when they were seated on some of the fabric that the guards rolled out for them. “Go to the council?” Allie asked, so he was intending on putting her to work. “Yeah, you don’t have to do anything beyond observe if you don’t want to,” He said, flopping down onto his back, “But you’re welcome to come, I guess.”  
“Think I’ll do your work for you?” Allie snorted, and there was a little belief in her words.  
“No, I want my country to remain functioning, thanks,” Harry snorted back, and she grumbled in response. “Rude, I could run a country,” Allie grumbled, and he turned his head to raise an eyebrow at her. “I’m sure you could, Pressman.”

“I will go though, getting a bit bored,” Allie admitted, finally laying back herself.  
“You could just go out and shit,” Harry suggested, and Allie got another vision of her sister frowning imploringly at such a use of improper language. “Hm, I suppose,” Allie sighed, looking up at a pair of birds flying overhead, trying to determine if she’d ever seen them before. “They’ll stop swarming about you soon,” Harry said, and Allie had to resist snapping her head to look at him.  
“How do you know?” She asked cautiously.  
“They did it with Kelly, and your sister for the first few times,” He explained easily, and she could see him moving out of the corner of her eye.

Allie did go to court on the Monday, and most days beyond that, it was fairly entertaining to watch the lesser nobles squabble and Harry get frustrated over some strange scheme they’d come up with. She even managed to become pretty well versed in the gossip down there, and she knew who to avoid. Mainly a woman called Lexie who was one of the strongest traders with none other than her cousin Campbell. Lexie wasn’t a bad person per say, she was just a bit short with people and could overreact from time to time. She was also very vocal about her dislike of Cassandra, and to some extent Harry too. So far, she hadn’t had the displeasure of running into Campbell on one of his business trips down south, and she hoped such luck would continue on far into the future.

One and a half months into her new life in the South, Allie finds herself happier, much happier than she thought she would be. She often finds herself sat up on one of the other rooves she discovered, that doesn’t have any railings, so she can sit and dangle her legs over the short drop down to another ledge. She’s due to return home for Sam and Becca’s marriage in a few days. Then almost immediately after that it’s her own wedding. They agreed to hold it back in the North, Allie wasn’t sure why they agreed that, but they did, and she was glad to be going home, if only for a few days wherein she could see her friends and Cassandra again. Although she dreaded seeing Will again, her hurt towards him had watered significantly in that month. She no longer wanted to cry at the sound of his name, a good thing because one of the lower council members names was Will, and she’d feel a bit embarrassed bursting into tears at every mention of his name.

But, she did wonder if there was other options she could consider. She had to admit to herself that she liked Harry, when he wasn’t being an arrogant tosser, he was funny and sarcastic, and she rather liked it. To an extent that seemed to be growing, she liked him when he was putting his front up too. If only because she was learning to read between the lines and to see what he really meant when he said things. Cassandra would be horrified if she saw Allie indulging in such self-importance, well, Allie guessed she was going to find out soon.

There was one time, with Harry, where he took her out for dinner, something about ought to get to know her since they were going to be married. Allie suspected it was to help her deal with the crowds that still came out to see her. (True to his word, they had died down soon enough, leaving her to explore art galleries and shops and café’s). It was a sweet gesture all the same, given the circumstances, and Allie had really enjoyed it. They’d talked about their childhoods and Allie, shamefully, had found herself liking listening to his voice. He’d told her that his father had been a very well-loved man, best King the land had ever seen they’d called him, and that he had died before their other parents, Harry didn’t say how he’d died, but Allie could infer. It had brough some respect worming into her heart, and some understanding, they’d both lost their parents very suddenly. Though Harry had said his mother was never as close to him or his sister, a distant and cold woman, very business-like. Allie got that too, her parents were much more focused on teaching Cassandra how to be a good queen. There wasn’t really that much training for Allie, it was only Cassandra who insisted on her coming along to such things. She didn’t tell Harry that though, not then. And he didn’t tell her the reason he and Kelly broke up, and why he felt the way he did about his mother. Not then.

He told her sat up on the very same balcony she sat atop at that time. It was after a big issue involving funds for aid to one village that had been swept by a flash-flood. The council came to a stalemate of a decision that Harry didn’t like. She could see him getting more and more frustrated as the meeting went on, they wanted the money to be saved for bigger disasters, and partly Harry agreed, but he argued that they had enough saved for a little more in aid. Once it was done Allie had seen him about to be dragged off with some of the very people he’d been arguing with for a party at one of their mansions. (Allie continued to marvel at the spectacle that their parties provided- fancy ball gowns, alcohol, music and dancing to an extreme) She’d gone over with a sweet smile and pulled Harry away with the excuse of something to do with the upcoming wedding of the highest importance. They’d acquiesced after a little back and forth.

Harry had asked her what the big problem was with such a tired and strained voice that Allie had almost hugged him. When she told him there wasn’t one, the look on his face had her smiling with the warmth in her heart. She decided then to call them friends, if nothing else. She’d brought him up onto the little flat roof and he’d laughed at her, saying she spent too much time in the clouds. But it hadn’t taken any time at all until he was smiling and watching the stars up in the sky. Then she found herself talking, telling him about her mother and father and Cassandra, and she even went as far as to tell him a little bit about Will. She’d been wholly aware of the impacts this could have on Cassandra and even her country if he ever decided to declare war again, or even engage in some sort of dirty underhand tactics to bring them down.

It was after her strange outpour of emotions and memories that he told her about his mother’s affair with Kelly’s father and that it drove a little wedge that just got bigger and bigger with Will and his partying and the constant rumours of him with some other girl. Allie could easily understand where that came from, she’d heard plenty of those rumours herself.

It was conversations like those, little glimpses at Harry Bingham, rather than King Harry that made her fondness for the man grow all the more. Sat up on the roof a week or so away from her wedding to him, she wondered if she could love Harry. She couldn’t say that it was absolutely impossible, and she couldn’t say that she would dislike such an eventuality. There was no chance with Will, the smile on Kelly’s face once she returned from her holiday ensured that. She couldn’t really marry another, or get divorced, the peace relied on her marriage to Harry. He wasn’t really so bad, he was pretty, very pretty, and he was funny when he wanted to be. So, what would be the harm in that? Allie still heard the rumours about him sleeping with other girls, but she didn’t really mind, some of them were obviously fake anyway. She knew for a fact that he hadn’t had time to take a three-hour trip out of the city to some mansion on that Wednesday, because she’d watched him fall asleep in the council meeting and then only be awoken for dinner.

It all really made her think, could she fall in love with her husband to be?

The rational part of her brain told her she couldn’t. In essence he was still the same person she had grown up being told about, whether from her parents or Cassandra. It was no lie that he was arrogant and self-absorbed, at least to anyone looking in. Allie was starting to suspect otherwise, but every time she thought she could really see the man, something would happen, and he would suddenly personify that which Cassandra always said. He was definitely a bit of a playboy too, the parties he held were notorious for a reason, and Allie now knew that their notoriety was entirely deserved. Dark lights and bands playing throughout the halls as people danced and sang along in some unsynchronised harmony or drunkards and dancers. But, contrary to that which Allie had always believed, it wasn’t a nightly occurrence, the most often parties of that scale occurred, or so she had been told, was once every few weeks. Sometimes, when times were a little harder and when Harry had something to take his mind off of it all, they would go a month or so without parties. These parties weren’t as bad as Allie had thought either, yes, they were a bit of a waste of lots of resources and they meant work slowed dramatically for a few days after, but it wasn’t as overly extravagant as she’d thought. Not that it wasn’t bad. It just made her feel confused, as if she didn’t quite know what to think of them. Or Harry for that matter.

Something about him, whether it was that desire to see past the walls he’d built around himself, or the strange thrill that came with the time she spent in his company drew Allie to him. She couldn’t deny that she watched him during his councils. He didn’t make much standing input himself, often letting the nobles argue over a course of action before he would stand and make his own point known. His thoughts were often business orientated and it was easy to see how they would benefit the rich, they were parallel to the things Cassandra would say and do. But, Allie could see that he wasn’t a bad ruler to them, the people liked him. Though she had noticed something in particular. How often the people would tell her how much of an incredible king his father had been, often shortly after a brief interlude of praise for Harry himself. They often talked about Cassandra too, telling Allie that her sister was an exceptional woman and that they appreciated some thing or other about her character or rule. There was something about it that bothered Allie, but she just couldn’t place what.

Whatever happened, Allie had plenty of time to think about it over the next few days, there really wasn’t much to do while travelling in those carriages bar read and think. She wondered if Harry would be better company this time, though she doubted it, something had been troubling him for the past few days, she could tell that much from how every time she saw him he was frowning or looking awfully worried. She chalked it up to getting married in a week or so, she had to admit she felt rather apprehensive about it too, this wasn’t how she intended her life to go, and she doubted Harry had thought it would be like this either.

Interrupting her reflection, Bean approached with a bit of a chastising look at Allie’s lack of safety concerns, legs swinging over the edge of the roof. Allie wasn’t sure how many times Bean was going to keep this up, Allie wasn’t going to stop. “I’ve received a letter for you,” Bean said, sighing and settling down beside Allie, though she didn’t go as far as to let her legs hand over the edge. “It’s from Grizz,” Bean told her, and Allie perked up considerably. She had received a few letters, mainly from her sister and Gordie, but this was the first she had gotten from Grizz, she missed the big man-bear. “Let’s see then, shall we?” Allie grinned, taking the letter Bean offered her and beginning to read.

_Dear Allie,  
I hope this letter finds you in good tidings and that you are finding your new life most enjoyable. The castle is rather quiet without you wandering it’s halls, and I find that we all do miss your presence. I wish this letter could come with better news or happy times and preparations for you and your cousin’s weddings, but I cannot find much joy with which to write with. It appears that your absence has left more of a heavy toll amongst us than we would like to admit. More so your sister than any others. I have not seen Cassandra in some time, and she has been very noticeably absent from certain duties of which I was under the impression were a great pride to her. Many of us worry for her, and for you. Though it is harder with someone stirring a little unrest with his actions and presence, we will over bound as we always do. With such a heavy message relayed, I cannot help but feel as if I am but passing on a burden, so do not worry so, we will watch after Cassandra here, in the meantime, let us look forwards to your wedding, as it grows ever nearer,  
Best Wishes,  
Grizz._

Allie almost lost her composure for a second but gathered herself in time to reassure Bean that her sister would surely be fine, just that things must be piling up, with meetings and this wedding drawing nearer. Bean left a few minutes later, telling Allie she must be ready for a meal in upwards of an hour. Allie was glad her worries were hidden from Bean; the girl would be no use if she was fretting so over things she needn’t. But, it did leave Allie rather alone with her darker thoughts. She wasn’t sure what she would do if anything happened to her sister. However much she may live in her shadow, it wasn’t remotely Cassandra’s fault she stood so tall, it was what she had to do.

So, Allie let out a breath, headed downstairs to her quarters and had the chambermaids pick out an appropriate dress for her. They seemed rather thrilled by the pretty dresses and Allie was more than happy to let them indulge, holding the gowns up against themselves. Once she was done, she stepped back out into her bedroom to find the room empty and the windows open wide, she supposed the chambermaids had better things to do, she didn’t usually see them back home, so many rooms and so much to do. But at least back home, it was home. Here she just felt lonelier, even though people made more time for her, it was still a little unfamiliar and the walls were alien to her as much as the people. It would be nice to go home, but there were many things making her feel like she would rather stay away too.

In the end, Allie finds herself making her way down the hall down and out of the door towards the largest living quarters in the castle. Harry had a whole building just to himself, which was quite a large one, four bedrooms, kitchen, living room, two offices and a few other rooms for storage and wardrobes. Once out in the courtyard, she could see that evening was approaching, the sky had a hint of orange to it. It had been difficult to adjust to the daylight cycle here; the sun set later and rose earlier making the days longer for a large amount of the year. Allie sighed, glancing amongst the many people hurrying around her, preparing for the trip north and the subsequent wedding. Allie paid them little heed, she recognised most of them, and headed up to the guards on either side of the doors. “Evening Lady,” One of the guards greeted her with a half-smile that made Allie a little uncomfortable.

She didn’t come by here often, mainly because of the guards, but also because it felt a bit strange, going in there. It was Harry’s home and she still felt out of place there, as if she could walk the walls of the rest of the castle, pretending she was just a dignitary visiting for her country, but once she stepped inside those walls, she was Princess Allie, Queen to be. “Evening,” Allie replied, as politely as she could manage, “May I go in?”  
“I suppose,” The second guard said, and the smirk on his face made Allie really want to punch the man. “Better behave my lady,” The first called to her as he opened the door, letting Allie pass. The interaction just made Allie feel worse than she already did, and she was beginning to regret going there. The door shut behind her and she could hear the two snickering behind it. So with as much force as she could muster she banged her fist on the back of the door beside where she guessed the first guard’s head should be. The following noises of distress and realisation were enough to make her feel a little better. Though she had probably made things much worse for herself in the long run.

Sighing in immediate regret she ventured further into the room. The living room was lightly furnished, though it didn’t really look lived in from the cleanliness and sparseness of it. Nowhere Allie had stayed looked lived in. It was so different to the shops and café’s and windows she had seen and walked by as she travelled around the city or through the countryside. Shaking her head of useless ponderings, she looked into the kitchen and found it expectedly, empty. So, she headed over to the stairs and called ahead of herself, not really wanting to walk in on anything. Though, she was fairly sure Harry wouldn’t be so careless, or the guards wouldn’t let her in. “Hello?” The slightly echoey response came back and Allie deemed it safe enough to go upstairs. When she turned the corner to where she suspected Harry was, in the office. “Allie?” He said, sounding surprised, and curious as she stepped through into the room.

It was probably the messiest room in the house, paper, books, pens, ink, pencils and letters scattered and stacked all over the room. Things covered all the surfaces bar a chair near the desk and Harry’s desk itself. Which, while cluttered, still had a little space left on it. “Hi, Harry,” Allie said, glancing around before moving a little closer to him. “How can I help you?” Harry asked tiredly, and Allie could see the same dark mood that had been afflicting him reflected in his eyes. “I got a letter today,” She said, hesitating a little, did she want to tell him this? She did, but was that the right thing to do? Probably not. Was she going to do it anyway? Yes. “Oh?” He asked, and though he sounded more tired than she’d ever heard him, there was an interest in his voice. Allie reached up her sleeve and passed it to him. He took a few moments to read through it, while she dropped into the chair beside his desk. She studied his face as it flickered between dread and this expression she didn’t recognise on him.

“What do you make of this then?” Harry asked handing her the letter back as if he wasn’t sure it would stay solid in his own hands. “I don’t know,” Allie said after a second before relenting, “It’s clearly Campbell causing this disturbance. ‘Over bound’ is a bit of a saying, Campbell is always the one to overstep the boundaries.” Harry huffed out a bit of a laugh, but it was more bitter than anything. Allie could understand that, nothing good ever really came with her cousin. “As for my sister… I’m not sure, but it’s nothing good,” Allie sighed leaning back. Harry looked as if he was about to say something but thought better of it and turned back to his work. He signed something and slid it off to the side, rocking his chair back til it was standing on two legs. “Never is anything good, I think,” Harry grumbled with a touch of anger and it was Allie’s turn to laugh bitterly, “You ready to leave tomorrow?”  
“Yeah,” Allie nodded, sticking her legs up on a pile of books nearby, if Harry was disturbed by this he didn’t react in any way, “We’ve got some banquet in a bit, right?” He nodded staring up to the ceiling, like it just might swallow him whole “Big goodbye.”

“What’s up with you this week?” Allie asked, levelling a stare at him.  
“What do you mean?” He said, failing to pretend like he had no idea what she was talking about.  
“You’ve been wandering around like you’ve got your own little storm cloud over your head.”  
“Just… I happen to be in some arranged marriage to be wed in a week,” He told her and there was some truth to his words, but Allie didn’t think he was telling her the whole truth. “S’not that bad, could be marrying Lexie,” She snorted, and he gave her a look of horror.

“I suppose it’s not the very worst,” He said after a second, “I think you’re the lucky one here.”  
“You what?” Allie spluttered, “I’d say I’ve got it worse.”  
“Hmm, no,” Harry said turning to grin at her, “You’re pretty lucky.” Allie couldn’t think of anything to respond to that, so instead she just stuck her tongue out at him. “I suppose it’s not the very worst,” Allie shot back after a second. Harry barked out a short laugh before falling silent. “We should probably go now,” Harry said, the chair falling back down with a loud clank.  
“You’re going to go to the banquet dressed like that?” Allie asked, making a point of looking him up and down. “What, don’t like what you see?” He smirked winking at her.  
“No,” Allie said, “Put something nicer on.” He gave her a hurt look and huffed but left to change all the same. Leaving Allie alone in his office. She felt like this was somewhat of a calculated move to put his trust in her and she wasn’t about to betray that. So, she stood and moved to look out of the window, looking out over the sparkling river that glimmered red in the orange of the sky.

She couldn’t help but wonder what the future could hold for her. Was it bright, or was it dark? She could only hope for some sign to guide her on her path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe.


End file.
